Discussion
- Plato describes the following three classes in a city: the traders, the auxiliaries, and the guardians. He gives these three classes and presents the view that these classes represent the parts of the soul. One is allowed to have only the profession for which nature suits them best.
- The three parts of the soul described by Plato are; reason, passion, and appetite. The three parts of the soul have desires, as described in Book IV. Reason desires what is believed to be good while appetite and passion’s desires are not based on beliefs concerning good or bad.
- According to Plato, justice in a city models the justice in a soul. He argues that justice in a city is when the three classes are allowed to function independently without obstruction. Similarly, justice in a soul exists when the three parts function together properly.
- Plato defines the spirited part of the soul as that which is not controlled by reason, nor does it follow natural rules. People controlled by the spirited part of the soul tend to act according to their impulses and sometimes display a lack of principles. For example, a person under the influence of drugs can be led by the spirited part of their soul to commit murder. Violence is evidence of being controlled by the spirited part.