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How did Plato describe the relationship between political justice and individual justice?

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The Greek philosopher Plato — Plato Plato, marble portrait bust copied from an original of the 4th century bce; in the Capitoline Museums, Rome.

In his seminal work, The Republic, Plato describes the relationship between political justice and individual justice as one of structural analogy. To better understand the nature of justice within the individual, Plato proposes examining it "writ large" within an ideal state.12

Plato posits that an ideal state consists of three social classes: rulers, guardians, and producers. Political justice is achieved when each class performs its specific role properly without interfering with the others.12

Correspondingly, the individual soul is composed of three parts:
* Reason: Desires truth and the good of the whole.
* Spirit: Preoccupied with honor and competitive values.
* Appetite: Concerned with basic desires like food and drink.

Ethical or individual justice is defined as a state of "psychic harmony," where each part of the soul performs its proper role under the governance of reason. Just as a city is virtuous when its classes function in balance, an individual is just when their soul is harmoniously ordered, leading to true happiness and human flourishing.132