Are the shadows on the wall the “real” and only things? And will finding out they are not make you more intelligent, thus making you live a better and just life? Socrates believes so. He also believes the prisoners shackled in the cave are “like us.” (515) The book describes ones subjection to freedom, which in turn is knowledge, and the steps taken to get there.

Uncertain if they can ever arrive at an acceptable definition of justice any other way, Socrates proposes they construct a State in which they approve of, and see if they might find the truth of justice lurking somewhere inside it. This would be a society that would uphold his ideals. Consequently, the men go on about the State that would meet the needs of all mankind. There would be rulers; the philosophers and thinkers that would make the decisions and should be trained in temperance, doing good at all times. Then would come guardians who would be the military, or auxiliary, and he believes they must be instilled with good morals. Then would come others that specialize in specific trades. He also talks about censoring any sort of tales that depict injustice triumphing over the just. This is Socrates/Plato’s class society in which the rulers are expected to uphold the “royal lie” that ensures the loyalty of the citizens. Socrates believes in order to keep this society going it would be necessary and perfectly okay to lie and still be just. His society will be instilled with four essential virtues; wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice- each with it’s own purpose. After all the discussion of this perfect society they come to terms with its reality. Would this ever really come about? Certainly not. However, many authors have written about utopian societies in which the first point of reference came about from Plato.

In conclusion, Socrates, seeing the world as essentially moral, announces that he has demonstrated the superiority of the just life as a life to be lived- whether it include external reward or not. He agrees with a philosophy that is still around today; a just man will reap his just rewards, and an unjust man, his just punishment. He also believes the greatest part of this will occur in the life proceeding the death of the body. This part is an ideal belief that seems to mimic the later Christian beliefs, years before it came into practice. The Republic ends with Socrates narration of the tale of Er. Here, Plato is forced to argue the au

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