Because Socrates has now divided the Guardians into two classes (rulers and auxiliaries), Adeimantus says that it occurs to him that the Guardians will not be very happy, in that they will by definition be precluded from material possessions, or the method whereby to procure those material possessions (money). The Guardians, Adeimantus remarks, seem to be more like mercenaries than honored citizens of the state.
Socrates reminds us at this point that the original intent of this aspect of the creation of the ideal state was (and remains) a state where justice might flourish and the whole of the citizenry might be happy. Socrates insists that happiness does not consist in the trappings of material wealth; the happy life does not consist, as some might suppose, in a life of revelry and festivity. The happiness of the state, Socrates reiterates, consists in the happiness instilled in each individual member of the classes from his having functioned well at his appointed task, performing his job well.
Socrates turns at this juncture to address a specific problem having to do with the craftsmen: They should not be permitted to suffer either from extreme wealth or from extreme poverty. Socrates explains that extreme wealth will cause the craftsmen to become lazy and lax in their duties. They may refuse to work. Extreme poverty will deny them the money whereby to procure the tools of their trade. They may be unable to work. In either case, Socrates argues, such a condition will foment trouble for the state.
Socrates now turns his attention to some other particulars about how the state should be run (the rulers’ obligation). Socrates refers specifically to the legislation and the passage of laws. We will not, Socrates says, require many laws in the ideal state; too many communities suffer from an overabundance of too many laws dealing with specific instances (particularities), thereby causing us to lose sight of the generality we seek: justice for all. The true way to achieve that general truth lies in the program we have already established for the Guardians: education and nurture. This training will ensure a wholeness of vision, that is, the creation of the just citizen in the just state. We ought not to be required to go at the thing piecemeal, floundering in our creation of specific laws and courting a kind of self-defeat. Our Guardians must be trusted to behave in a reasonable fashion. We require only a minimum of laws.
