On the Likeness of State and Soul in Plato's Republic

Abstract

In his Republic Plato searches justice and injustice by means of the so-called “analogy of state and soul”. By analyzing this method, I will clarify two sorts of correspondence between a state and a soul : causality and likeness. The fact that while injustice is sought by causality and likeness, justice is investigated by the likeness of a just state and a just man leads us to the following conclusions : (1) justice itself is not only the target of the inquiry but also the basis of it ; (2) injustice is genesis, but on the other hand justice is ousia.