Plato's Republic Cover Image

Plato's Republic

by Plato

Start Free Trial

Student Question

How does Socrates define function and virtue in Book 1 of Plato's Republic?

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

"Everything is said to have its function and its virtue- which allows it to perform its function. The function of the soul is regulate life. And its peculiar virtue is justice. So the soul of the good man must live well; that of a bad man badly" (350-354c, Soc).

What he's saying here about function and virtue is that only if a thing is good it has virtue (or what he refers to as justice) and in order to have justice or virtue you must function.

An analogy might be helpful as well and Socrates makes this analogy in Book 1. He says that justice is to the soul what health is to the body, therefore if you have health your body will function well and if you have justice or virtue then your soul will function well also. Likewise, if you are unhealthy your body will not function well and if you are unjust then your soul will also be unjust.

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial