Introduction | Justice | The City in Speech | Favorite Links

Socrates moves to define his "Ideal Polis". By describing a polis in which justice must play a major part. His goal is to prove that justice comes out on top. The Structure of the City in Speech Only a small number of citizens are needed. They live a satisfying but simple life, sharing their labour and their produce. Men get together for mutual support; each person can only do one thing well. There are three types of jobs: producers, traders and carriers, and laborers. The three most important human necessities are established, in order of importance: food, shelter, and clothing. A City Fit for Pigs! Glaucon describes Socrates' city as a city fit for pigs. He cites how Socrates said that the fun his ideal citizens would have is sitting around the fire roasting acorns. Glaucon calls for a modern city with a bit of comfort and luxury.

The Reforms The city will be much bigger and will have many more professions. It will take land from it's neighbors because it will need more land to support itself. The city will go to war and the army will have to have full-time soldiers, called Guardians. The Guardians are characterized as gentle to friends and fierce to enemies. It is determined that the Guardian will need to know friend from enemy. Hence, the Guardians will need to be philosophers.