Socrates An Unjust Person Essay

According to Socrates, an unjust person is an unhappy person. Why do you believe Socrates made this analogy? How does one become a balanced individual? Furthermore, Plato also has an opinion of what a well-balanced person is. Show how Plato's understanding of a well-balanced person is necessary to a society in harmony with itself, and how that ties in with Socrates’ preceding analogy.
Socrates believed a unjust person could not be happy that only the just person could be happy. The unjust person was sick or unbalanced in Socrates opinion. In this case the persons appetites were out of balance with their reason and willpower. I believe Socrates felt this way because if a person’s appetites were out of balance it would cause them to give
into their appetites. Which would make them steal or lie or do other morally negative things. If a person was in balance their willpower or reason would keep them from doing morally bad things. It is easy to see what he was thinking especially in today’s society where we have a lot of people with addictions. Which, in Socrates eyes, would mean that their appetites were simply controlling their actions.
Socrates made this analogy because it is easy to see how willpower and reason could easily control your desires or appetites. He believed that if a person realized the truth that all of the opinions would have to be forgotten. Therefore reason is the most important virtue. A lot of the most well respected and virtuous people are said to possess great willpower.
A person became a well balanced individual through learning and interacting with other people. This is why he thought that the trees and shrubs outside of his polis had nothing to teach him. Only talking with people and inspiring them to think could they become balanced people. Socrates also believed in conversational teaching. Where there we no organized classes and where students became equals to the teachers at some point. Otherwise Plato would not have been the man he was. Socrates believed that the things we want aren’t always what we need and might not be good for us. We can only become good balanced people by controlling our desires.
Plato’s idea of a well balanced person was described like a pyramid with reason on the top and the smallest part, but the most important part.
Followed by passion, which helps reason temper and control the desires. Plato also believed the society should be the same way the rulers should have the most reason, so they are wise. The auxiliary cast needed passion and willpower to enforce the reason of those in charge. The merchants and general populace needed desires to be a functioning society. Socrates analogy applies here as the king needs reason so the laws and judgments he makes are fair and just. If the king was out of balance he would make laws and judgments that favored certain individuals to gain favors, or laws that were based on greed and deceit. The auxiliary cast, police officers, soldiers and other enforcement type people need willpower/passion to carry out their daily duties. Sometimes enforcing the laws are not fun or easy. A lot of these jobs are very demanding physically and they need the willpower to keep going. The merchants and common citizens needed desires to make them want to contribute to society to get the things they desired. Whether this was trade or working on farms or whatever trade they were good
at.