The City of Socrates and the Soul

Socrates builds his city on the premise that a man is not self-sufficient and is in need of his fellow man to survive. This much is true; while it is possible for a single man to be self-sufficient, it is human nature to seek companionship of some sort and the necessities of life are certainly easier to come by when one is living within a community. So Socrates and Adeimantus establish the city of necessities and end up with a surprisingly adept analogy for the nature of justice in the human soul. The city represents the soul, and if every member of the community is working towards what is just (i.e. what is beneficial for not only themselves but for the rest of the community), then the community thrives, just as the soul does when it is truly just. But if a member of community acts out of injustice, such as the homemaker creating inadequate homes or the tradesmen cheating his clients, then the community suffers. It is in the same way that the soul suffers from injustice; if any part of the soul commits an injustice, then the rest of the soul suffers. Of course, there is the possibility for remorse and rehabilitation for acts of injustice. If only on member of the community is unjust, then the rest of the community can come together and either replace him or make sure he only takes actions that are just. This is also true for the soul. If a just person commits an act of injustice, they can recognize their injustice and attempt to rectify it. But if the act of injustice goes unchecked, whether in the city or the soul, then all that remains just stands the chance of becoming unjust.

Once the city Socrates creates has all of its necessities taken care of, they start to create luxuries. This is when injustice appears within the community. Once the community starts seeking out luxuries that are beyond its means, it must expand. "[We must] cut off a piece of our neighbors' land, if we are going to have sufficient for pasture and tillage," explains Socrates (373d). This, he says, is the "origin of war". Once the city moves past its necessities to luxuries, it starts committing acts of injustice against other communities to sustain itself. This is where injustice emanates in the soul. Once a man has (or even witnesses) the luxuries of the just, then they are more inclined to obtain more luxuries, and it is easier to obtain luxuries through acts of injustice than justice (the city had to work to provide its own necessities before it could obtain luxuries, but once they had those luxuries another city maybe feel inclined to come take the luxuries for themselves). This, I believe, is the origin of evil; when a man recognizes the luxuries of another and attempts to obtain them through unjust means.