Book Four – For The Sake Of The City

Sacrifice is a common theme throughout life. It is commonly drawn upon in pop culture. Just about every movie seems to have some type of sacrifice as part of the story line. A man makes a sacrifice for his girl friend. The soldier sacrifices his life for his fellow troops.

In Plato’s Republic Book 4, Socrates, Adeimantus, and Glaucon, while continuing to build their utopian city, start to realize the level of sacrifice that will be required. Will the guardians be able forgo the “savage masters” of their appetites for personal wealth for the sake of the city?

Adeimantus wants Socrates to explain why they are not allowing the guardians of the city to relish some type of personal desire or property. Why wouldn’t they be allowed to have private wealth? Socrates explains that if they are going to focus on justice of the city, it would be bad for them to have any personal agendas or personal desires taking their minds captive. Socrates says, “…we are not looking to exceptional happiness of any one group among us but as far as possible, that of the city as a whole.”

There has to be a balance between wealth and poverty. Socrates gives the example of a potter. If he is rich, he will become lazy. If he is poor he will not even be able to afford the tools that he will need to perform his craft. The city must be guarded from these two extremes.

The question comes up of how big the city should be. Socrates says, “up to that point in its growth at which it’s willing to be one.” The city needs to be kept to people that are willing to give it all up for the sake of the city.

Procreation will be one reason for the city to increase in size. It would be too easy for the wrong people to get together, get married, and have children that could end up being unjust. Marriage and procreation needs to be arranged wherever possible. This would maximize that possibility that they would have children that would be a contribution to the greatness of the city.

Just like marriage, music is something that needs to be restricted and monitored. There is something about music that moves the soul and stays with you. It causes people to think new ways. People may start to think too much for themselves and live for something other then the city. It could distract from the bigger picture.

Great appetite for personal wealth might also be a distraction from the needs of the city. Adeimantus’ first reaction was that this was something that could be regulated by new laws. Socrates compared this to cutting off the heads of a Hydra. It might help to solve the problem initially but it would just come back. They recognize that religion does a better job at regulating the activities of a man’s soul.

An appetite for personal wealth comes from a man’s soul. This is just one part of the soul. There is also spiritedness and reason. If people desire to be just, they must sacrifice their desires and their spiritedness in favor of using reason. Socrates says, “Isn’t it proper for the calculating part to rule, since it is wise and has forethought about all of the soul, and for the spirited part to be obedient to its ally?”

For a city to survive and for people to live together, reason needs to be exercised. There needs to be an education in how to control or sacrifice personal desires and spiritedness. Putting too much value in personal property will cause them to lose sight of the importance of protecting the will and the needs of the city. It will cause people to stick higher value on the private then the public. Things will need to be sacrificed for this perfect justice…for the sake of the city.