PLATO’S CONCEPT OF JUSTICE

Abstract

Plato is a thinker who puts the concept of justice into the very center of philosophicaldiscussion. His concept of dikaiosyne, as a virtue which is in essence related to theessence of the state, is elaborately defi ned in the dialogue The Republic, although in other works (Charmides, Protagoras, Gorgias, Symposium) we can also see views related to its philosophicalunderstanding. Plato particularly emphasizes the universality and permanence of the conceptof justice, its substantial signifi cance for the proper state of the human soul and the alignmentof three distinct parts of the soul, as well as the connection to the threefold social rank basis ofthe best politeia, and differentiated forms of the rule, developed, in addition to the Republic, inStatesman and Laws. The most commonly noted concept of justice, which sublimes its concept“in general”, is presented in Δ book of The Republic: “This, then, I said, my friend, if taken in acertain sense appears to be justice, this principle of doing one’s own business.” Plato advocatesSophocracy, i.e. the political rule of the philosophers, being of the opinion that only in such aform of constitution it is possible to realize a complete harmony, the agreement of spheres ofpractical life, but also the adequacy and the equivalence of giving and taking on behalf of freecitizens of a polis and the very polis. The justice in the Kingship i.e. in Aristocracy should be applied,primarily based on the principle of geometrical equality, while arithmetical equality wouldbe only an auxiliary means to mitigate increased tensions in the classical polis of Plato’s times.