H.w Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

H.w - Essay Example In supporting this view, Plato gave an in-depth analysis of what justice is. In this analysis, Plato divided justice into two categories, i.e. the justice of the state (political justice), and individual justice. Political justice, for Plato, comes about in a state when the tripartite constitutive elements of the state operate harmoniously. The tripartite elements are the Workers (productive class), the Auxiliaries (the soldiers), and the Guardians (the rulers). A harmonious working cooperation among the three classes of people in the state ensures that there is harmony, and hence justice in the state. Analogously, for Plato, human soul has three elements corresponding to the tripartite elements of the state. The constitutive tripartite elements of the human soul are the appetitive element- corresponding to the productive element in the state, the spirited element- corresponding to the auxiliary element in the state, and the rational element- corresponding to the guardian element in the state. Plato then argued that, the function of the soul is to live and it is these three elements of the human soul that ensures human life. Plato, therefore, conceived justice as a virtue of the soul that is brought about by the harmonious functioning of the three elements of the human soul. As a virtue of the soul, therefore, Plato concluded that justice is good in and of itself because it is a necessary condition for human happiness. In my reasoned opinion, this argument by Plato in response to Glaucon and Adeimantus is persuasive argument. This is because Plato explains clearly, by demonstration and concrete example, why justice is intrinsically good. By arguing that justice is a virtue that results from the harmonious functioning of the three constitutive elements of the human soul, Plato has clearly demonstrated that justice as a virtue is good in and of itself. The main relationship between this response and Plato’s conception of