Discussion Questions on Book II of the Republic

1. If you had the ring of Gyges, would you adhere to all the duties that justice entails? Why or why not?

2. Is it fair to require that the just man lives a better life than the unjust, even if people mistakenly believe that the just man is unjust and that the unjust man is just?

3. What is the state for and what should be the main objectives of the state?

4. What, in Plato's view, is the reason for the division of labor? How does his view differ from a modern view?

5. Why should an army be part of an ideal state?

6. What is good government, and how is it to be ensured?