Justice in a person and a city › The Strategy: The City as Soul Writ Large

To answer Glaucon's challenge, Socrates proposes an unusual method. Justice, he says, exists both in individuals and in cities. Since cities are larger than individuals, it might be easier to see justice in the larger case first, then apply what we learn to the soul. This move between political order and individual character guides much of the dialogue. Socrates proceeds to construct, in speech, an ideal city. He starts from first principles. Why do cities exist at all? Because no individual is self-sufficient. We need others for food, shelter, clothing, protection. Specialization emerges naturally: some people are better suited to farming, others to building, others to fighting. This principle of specialization (each person doing the work they are naturally suited for) helps define justice in Socrates' city. As the city grows in complexity, three distinct classes emerge. The *producers* (farmers, craftsmen, merchants) provide for material needs. The *guardians* (soldiers, police) protect the city from external and internal threats. From among the guardians, the *rulers* are selected: those with the wisdom to govern the whole. ::: {.callout-note title="The Three Classes"} Plato's ideal city has three functional classes: producers (who create material goods), guardians or auxiliaries (who protect and enforce), and rulers or philosopher-kings (who govern with wisdom). Wisdom is located in the rulers and courage in the auxiliaries. Moderation belongs to the whole city: rulers and ruled agree about who should govern (Book IV, 428b–432a). ::: Justice in the city, Socrates argues, consists in each class performing its proper function without interfering with the others. The producers produce. The guardians protect. The rulers rule. When the shoemaker tries to rule, or the ruler tries to make shoes, the city falls into disorder. Justice is the condition in which each part does its own work and does not meddle with the work of others.