Book 4 Summary
In book 4 of Plato's Republic, Socrates has just outlined the austere lives that the guardians of his ideal city would lead. Adeimantus objects that these guardians would not be happy, since they would see that rulers of other cities and states live in great luxury. Socrates replies that the guardians must ensure that everyone in the city is happy rather than try to enrich themselves at the expense of others. Extremes of wealth and poverty are undesirable, since the rich would become lazy and the poor rebellious in such a system. The guardians will not even have their own wives and children, since everything in the city must be held in common.
Since the city is ideal, it must contain all the virtues of humanity. The guardians have the supreme virtue of wisdom, while the soldiers who protect the city display the virtue of courage, and all citizens possess the virtue of moderation. The just society is one in which everyone fulfils his proper role. The just man is a reflection of the just city. As the city has wise guardians, courageous soldiers, and moderate citizens, so the soul has three parts: reason, appetite, and spirit. These must be kept in balance, with reason ruling the other two parts, as the guardians rule the city.
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