Happiness In Plato's The Republic
As the discussion on defining happiness thickens in the Republic, Socrates starts comparing the makings of a good city to a good soul as a way to successfully segue into explaining what the true meaning of happiness is. He explains that a well-functioning city is equivalent to happiness. If a city is stable and flourishing, then the city as a whole would be happy and the citizens would also be happy, especially if they are free from any internal or external conflicts. Though some can argue that there is no correlation between the well-being of a city and its citizens, one cannot simply ignore that a poorly functioning city directly influences the state of living of its citizens negatively; how can the citizens be happy if their city isn’t functioning
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A good city is made up of producers, auxiliaries, and guardians. Producers are the individuals in charge of producing and procuring fiscal goods for the city; these goods are defined as necessities and pleasures for the entire city to enjoy and use. Auxiliaries are the people who defend the city against any internal and/or external conflicts. The guardians are chosen citizens to rule, to establish the order, and set goals for the city. In the case of the soul, it is made up of the appetite, spirit, and rational parts (Republic 439a – 441b). The appetite of one’s soul is pointed toward both necessary and unnecessary desires for pleasure while the spirited part aims at one’s emotions and protects the soul from temptations and external aggression. The soul’s rational part is what rules the soul by employing truth and knowledge. The reason for these three distinct parts for both the city and the soul is to show how if each of the parts did their jobs to the best of their abilities then the city or soul would run more efficiently. For example, if producers were to take on the jobs of the guardians or if the appetite took control over the soul, neither the city nor the soul would function as it should. This would lead to the possibilities of a physical or emotion civil war, which is the farthest thing from
A good city is made up of producers, auxiliaries, and guardians. Producers are the individuals in charge of producing and procuring fiscal goods for the city; these goods are defined as necessities and pleasures for the entire city to enjoy and use. Auxiliaries are the people who defend the city against any internal and/or external conflicts. The guardians are chosen citizens to rule, to establish the order, and set goals for the city. In the case of the soul, it is made up of the appetite, spirit, and rational parts (Republic 439a – 441b). The appetite of one’s soul is pointed toward both necessary and unnecessary desires for pleasure while the spirited part aims at one’s emotions and protects the soul from temptations and external aggression. The soul’s rational part is what rules the soul by employing truth and knowledge. The reason for these three distinct parts for both the city and the soul is to show how if each of the parts did their jobs to the best of their abilities then the city or soul would run more efficiently. For example, if producers were to take on the jobs of the guardians or if the appetite took control over the soul, neither the city nor the soul would function as it should. This would lead to the possibilities of a physical or emotion civil war, which is the farthest thing from