Socrates' Republic

These flashcards cover key concepts from Socrates' argument in Republic Book IV regarding the tripartite nature of the soul, the ancillaries of justice, and the philosophical distinctions made by Glaucon.

What does Socrates argue about the embodied human soul in Republic Book IV?

The embodied human soul is a plurality consisting of three distinct parts: rational (driven by reasoning), spirited (driven by spirit), and appetitive (driven by appetite).

What is justice according to Socrates' tripartite theory?

Justice is the internal order of the soul where reason rules, spirit assists, and appetite obeys.

What analogy does Socrates use to explain justice in the city and the individual soul?

The city-soul analogy, where justice in the city corresponds to each class performing its proper role, just as justice in the soul corresponds to each part fulfilling its function.

What are the three classes of the Kallipolis and their associated virtues?

1) Rulers (Reason) – wisdom; 2) Auxiliaries (Spirit) – courage; 3) Producers (Appetite) – moderation.

What is the Principle of Opposites in relation to the tripartite soul?

The Principle of Opposites states that it is impossible for the same entity to desire and resist the same object simultaneously, indicating distinct parts of the soul.

How does Glaucon define justice in Book II?

Justice is a social contract born from fear and weakness, valued instrumentally for the safety and order it provides.

What are the three kinds of goods according to Glaucon?

1) Goods valued for their own sake; 2) Goods valued for both their own sake and their consequences; 3) Goods valued only for their consequences.

What is the origin of justice according to Glaucon's theory?

Justice arises from a human-made agreement to avoid mutual harm, as people are driven by a desire for personal pleasure.

What does Glaucon's Ring of Gyges example illustrate about justice?

It illustrates that even a just person would act unjustly if they could do so without facing consequences, suggesting justice is practiced from necessity.

According to Socrates in Republic IX, why is justice good for a human being?

Justice is good because it constitutes the health of the soul, leading to psychic well-being and flourishing.

What is the relationship between justice and happiness in the just person's life?

The just person experiences true, lasting happiness characterized by peace, stability, and self-mastery.

What is the consequence of injustice according to Socrates?

Injustice leads to internal conflict and disorder within the soul, making it intrinsically bad, even if it brings external success.

How does Socrates define justice in terms of its function within the soul?

Justice is the harmonious order of the rational, spirited, and appetitive parts of the soul—each performing its unique role.

What is the primary function of the rational part of the human soul?

To govern and lead the soul through reasoning and wisdom.

What is the function of the spirited part of the soul?

To support the rational part in its rule and to uphold courage.

What is the function of the appetitive part of the soul?

To obey the rational part, seeking gratification in moderation and temperance.

What is the Kallipolis?

It is Socrates' ideal city or 'beautiful city,' representing a perfectly just society.

According to Glaucon, what motivates people to form a social contract for justice?

People agree to justice to avoid suffering injustice themselves, as the harm of being wronged outweighs the benefit of wronging others.

According to Socrates, what is the nature of justice as a good?

Justice is an intrinsic good, valued for its own sake and its consequences, as it constitutes the health and optimal functioning of the soul. It is better to be just than unjust, regardless of external rewards or punishments.

What are the five forms of government (constitutions) and their corresponding individual souls identified by Socrates?

The five constitutions, from best to worst, are:

1. Aristocracy (rational soul) – Rule by the best, guided by reason and wisdom.

2. Timocracy (spirited soul) – Rule by honor and ambition.

3. Oligarchy (appetitive soul, focused on necessary appetites) – Rule by wealth.

4. Democracy (appetitive soul, focused on unnecessary appetites) – Rule by freedom and license for all desires.

5. Tyranny (tyrannical soul) – Rule by lawless desire and complete subjugation to a master passion.

Describe the tyrannical psyche.

The tyrannical psyche is completely enslaved by its lawless desires and appetites, particularly an overwhelming erotic love, which becomes its master. It is characterized by internal chaos, insatiable desires, paranoia, fear, and a complete lack of self-mastery, leading to profound unhappiness and alienation. The tyrannical psyche’s hedonism is self-defeating—more desires create more neediness, less control, and greater suffering.

What characterizes the life of a just person?

The just person lives a life of internal harmony, freedom, and self-sufficiency, governed by reason. This leads to true and lasting happiness, inner peace, and a life free from regret, mental servitude, and the constant fear of external circumstances.

Why is injustice intrinsically bad for an individual, according to Socrates?

Injustice is intrinsically bad because it is the disease and disarray of the soul, creating internal conflict, mental servitude to unruly appetites, and a constant state of unhappiness. It is a form of psychic illness that degrades the individual, regardless of any external success or failure.

Summarize Socrates’ argument for the tripartite nature of the soul.

• (1) The Principle of Opposites (436b–437e)

  • “It’s impossible for something numerically one to undergo opposite actions in the same respect and relation.”

  • From Lecture 7: if a person desires to drink but simultaneously resists drinking, these are opposing impulses → must come from different parts of the soul.

• (2) Reason vs. Appetite (437b–439e)

  • Appetite: loves bodily pleasure, hates pain (Lecture 7).

  • Reason: loves truth, knowledge, and beauty; hates ignorance.

  • Example: the person who thirsts but refrains from drinking (reason overrides desire).

• (3) Spirit (Thumos) as a Third Part (439e–441c)

  • Spirit: loves victory, honor, and respect; hates defeat and dishonor.

  • Example of Leontius: anger at himself for looking at corpses (Lecture 7) → shows conflict between spirit and appetites

Spirit can ally with reason or rebel under emotion—thus distinct from both.

Summarize Glaucon’s argument that justice is not intrinsically virtuous but merely instrumental.

Glaucon argues that justice originates as a social contract among inherently selfish individuals who fear suffering injustice more than they value committing it. He posits that people practice justice unwillingly, valuing it only for its beneficial consequences (safety, order, reputation), not for its own sake. His Ring of Gyges thought experiment illustrates that given impunity, even a supposedly just person would act unjustly, proving justice is merely a necessity.

Glaucon claims that most people plae justice in the _____ category for the distinction of goodness.

The third category: that goods are valued for their consequences and it’s painful, but necessary for social peace and safety

Why is justice Good and in what sense? (Glaucon)

• 1. Justice as a Rational Compromise: It’s “good” only because it protects us from suffering injustice.

  • The unjust life is preferable if one can avoid punishment (Lecture 4).

• 2. Justice Brings Social Stability

  • In Glaucon’s view, being just ensures safety, reputation, and social order.

  • The unjust, if exposed, suffer punishment and dishonor.

• 3. Justice and Happiness

  • Glaucon equates happiness with bodily pleasure, wealth, and social honor (Lecture 4).

• Thus, the unjust who rule successfully are happier — while the just live safely but less freely.

• Justice is instrumentally good because it enables peaceful coexistence, but it is not naturally good for the soul.

Why is Justice good and in what sense? (Socrates)

• Justice as the Soul’s Health (Lecture 8)

  • Justice is the maximally healthy condition of a happiness-aiming system.

  • When each element fulfills its proper function, the soul flourishes; when it doesn’t, it becomes diseased.

  • Thus, justice is intrinsically good—valuable not merely for consequences but as the condition of human flourishing (eudaimonia)

• the mor eunjust, the more internally disordered and unhappy

Aristocratic Soul is ruled by _____

ruled by reason; is harmonious, and the happiest

Timorcratic soul is ruled by _____

ruled hy spirit; honor-loving; competitive

Oligarchic soul is ruled by ___

ruled by necessary appetites; obsessed with wealth

Democratic soul is ruled by ____

ruled by random desires (as it changes all the time); chaotic; undisciplined

Tyrannical soul is ruled by ____

lawless deires; enslaved; miserable

Who, in the tripartite of the soul, the happiest?

Only the philosopher experiences geuine happiness due to the alignment of reason, spirit, and appetite; they experience also all pleasures/virtues of those prior, whic are regulated by reason

Main analogy made about justice & soul

Physicial health :: body :: Justice :: Soul

• Health = proper functioning of bodily organs.

• Justice = proper functioning of the soul’s parts.