Socrates starts off Book V by introducing new topics to the discussion. He wants to talk about four forms of injustices. Polemarchus, Thrasymachus, Adeimantus, and Glaucon stop him from continuing his speech, and accuse him of not completing his discussion of a just state. Socrates does not want to speak anymore of the subject, and states that he is afraid of the audience’s response to what he will say. Glaucon then lets Socrates continue on his speech of injustices. Socrates goes on to talk about the injustices that women have to go through. He proposes that women be equal to men, and share the same political and educational opportunities. He also states that women might be physically less strong than men, but that does not necessarily mean that women cannot run a state in a successful way. Socrates strongly advocates the equal education of men and women. He feels that the equal education of men and women will benefit the state in all affairs. These were very revolutionary thoughts in Athenian times.Socrates goes on to talk about family and its injustices. He believes that the injustices in family will be harder to solve than the injustices to women. He basically states that family should be broken up and replaced with what is good for the state. He feels that all property should be held at a common level from the guardian, to the wife, and the children. Socrates offers a method in which this can be achieved. First Socrates says that the rulers must arrange all marriages. He states that people of mutual standing will be wed together. The offspring of the superior couplings, those determined by the rulers, will be immediately taken to live with different people, and the offspring of inferior people, and all defective infants, the rulers will kill. The leaders will enforce population control on the community. He feels that sex control is possible on society. Socrates also feels that love, and romantic lives ar...
