Only the best of the guardians will become philosopher-kings. Then, just as the prisoner returns to the cave, the guardians begin public service in preparation for later rule. When the guardians are mature, their education includes the study of dialectic, the art of debate. Consequently, the guardians must be educated in philosophy, as well as mathematics and logic. The philosopher, because he understands the Forms, has greater understanding of everything. The philosopher is the best ruler because he understands that the objects of the physical world are copies, imitations, of the ideal Forms in the world of Ideas. The freed prisoner later returns and tries to teach the others about the nature of truth. Imagine, he says, a cave, where men are chained in the dark and think that the shadows they see on the wall are reality, until one of them escapes into the sunlight and sees the physical world. Socrates presents the allegory of the cave. Only philosophers are able to truly love knowledge and truth, and only they recognize truth. This will require that philosophers become kings, or kings become philosophers. Just as the rational part of the soul should rule over the others, the rational part of the city residents, the philosopher, should rule over the warriors and producers. In the just man, each part of the soul performs its function, directed by reason, so that the appetites and spirit are controlled. In support of his claim that the philosopher is the best ruler Socrates explains that the soul is made of three parts, the rational, the appetitive and the spirit. Socrates turns to the question of who should rule the city. Their daily needs will be met by the other residents of the city so that guardians can rule without distraction. The rulers will lead very simple lives, forbidden to touch gold or silver or to own property. Wives and children of the guardians are held in common. The others from the initial group of guardians will become the warriors for the city. The best of the guardians are given special education to prepare them to rule. Those who will be laborers or craftsmen will form the "producer" class. Literature must reflect only good behavior. Imitative literature in which the author creates the voices of different characters, "imitating" human behavior, is forbidden.
Education, especially of the guardians who will function as guards or soldiers as well as rulers, is the key to the success of the city. Each person will specialize in a specific occupation, an occupation that is chosen for them by the city based on their aptitudes and abilities as children. Socrates' ideal city depends on education, specialization, and social structures that define family, behavior, and loyalty to the city. Once they have defined a just city, Socrates believes, they'll be able to examine justice in an individual. Instead, he proposes to "create" an ideal city that will show justice on a large scale. But Socrates does not state what his own idea of justice is. Socrates soon proves that Cephalus and Polemarchus' conception of justice as telling the truth and paying what is owed is insufficient, and he likewise disproves Thrasymachus's belief that justice is simply whatever is of most advantage to the stronger person or people. There, Socrates joins a discussion with Cephalus, Polemarchus, Glaucon, Adeimantus, and the Sophist Thrasymachus about the nature of justice. After a religious festival, Socrates is invited to the house of a wealthy merchant named Cephalus.
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