Plato - Republic (Books II-IV): One Page Study Sheet

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key terms from the lecture notes.

Virtue (aretê)

Excellence—what lets a thing do its work well.

Truth (aletheia)

What is unhidden and objective.

Knowledge (epistêmê)

Of what always is; truth is its only proper object.

Opinion (doxa)

About what changes; can be true or false (not just tastes).

Fallacy: Appeal to Common Practice

Popularity doesn't prove truth; reason and evidence do.

Three Kinds of Goods: Good for itself

Goods valued for their own sake, regardless of results.

Three Kinds of Goods: Good for itself and for its results

Goods valued for themselves and their outcomes; justice belongs here.

Three Kinds of Goods: Good only for its results

Goods valued only for their outcomes.

Glaucon's Challenge

Define justice/injustice and show why justice is good in itself, apart from rewards.

Adeimantus's Challenge

Exclude talk of rewards and show how justice benefits the soul; reform myths.

City in Speech

City used as a model to read the soul writ large.

Noble Lie (myth of metals)

A myth told to orient the city so reason can rightly rule.

Keeping True Belief

Maintaining true belief when reasons aren’t revisited; risky.

Robbed

Dropping a true belief by neglect; swayed by others; harmful; responsibility.

Bewitched

Dropping a true belief by yielding to pleasures over truth; harmful; fault.

Tripartite Soul

Mind consists of Reason, Spirited (Thumos), and Appetites.

Reason

Should rule the soul; knows the true good; virtue = Wisdom.

Spirited/Thumos

Should support reason; aims of honor/esteem; virtue = Courage.

Appetites

Body desires and acquisitions; should obey reason.

Temperance/Moderation

Shared virtue: agreement that reason should rule.

Justice (of the whole)

Each part does its own work; harmony under reason.

Justice vs. Injustice

Justice = inner order; Injustice = disorder; unity vs tearing apart.

Wisdom

Quality of properly managing the parts under reason; not just virtue.

Courage

Preserves reason's guidance through pains and pleasures.

Just action

Establishes or maintains the beneficial relationship among soul parts.

Unjust action

Harms the relationship among soul parts.

Philosopher

One who aims to be just and loves wisdom and knowledge; truth equips reason to govern desires.