Women should be allowed to occupy the positions of guardians provided they have the required character traits. In chapters seven and eight the role of women and sexual relations in this community is established. The rulers represent rationality, the auxiliaries passion, and the workers and farmers physical desire. Socrates argues that the division of these groups in society corresponds to the tripartite structure of the human mind.

A “noble lie” or myth would be told to ensure that individuals remained within their allocated castes. The guardians themselves would be divided into two castes: rulers and auxiliaries. Theses would be communal and austere with no property ownership. Chapters five and six discuss the lives and responsibilities of the guardians. They should not be told stories that promote immorality or disharmony, but only those that promote virtuous and socially useful behaviour. Next, Socrates outlines the ideal education for the guardians. These are rooted in economic need and entail a division of labour where a separate warrior caste called “guardians” are needed. To do this, he discusses this community’s origins. To address this challenge, Socrates, in chapters three and four, examines morality within a hypothetical ideal human community. Namely, does morality bring happiness irrespective of external rewards and punishments? This leads into a broader discussion which will frame the rest of the text. Socrates then confronts the claim that morality is a device to ensure that weak or oppressed people do not challenge authority.

He rejects two conventional views: that morality is about paying one’s debts and that morality is about helping one’s friends. In chapters one and two, Socrates, returning from a festival, gets involved in a discussion about morality.

Plato ion summary sparknotes