Final answer:
Plato argues in The Republic that a luxurious state requires more resources than a healthy state, using accumulation of numerous professions as a rhetorical device to illustrate his point. His advocacy for a just society, characterized by wisdom, courage, discipline, and justice, counters the excess seen in luxurious states, thus validating his claim.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Plato's The Republic, he makes a compelling argument that a luxurious state requires more resources than a healthy state. By emphasizing the multitude of professions and services that become necessary as a city grows in luxury—hunters, actors, poets, dancers, and various artisans—Plato utilizes a reasoning strategy that appeals to rationality. This list is an example of an accumulative rhetorical device, which effectively illustrates how luxury leads to complexity and the broader need for resources. Plato's underlying message is clear: a luxurious city cultivates excesses that surpass basic human needs, requiring extensive means to sustain it.
Plato's portrayal of a just society suggests that discipline and moderation in the state, particularly among the guardians, helps maintain social harmony and prevents the unchecked growth of desires that mark a luxurious state. His argument is anchored in the virtues of wisdom, courage, discipline, and justice. Furthermore, his approach to the roles of citizens—especially the emphasis on meritocracy and the philosopher-king concept—underscores a state that functions efficiently towards the common good, contrasting sharply with the excesses of a luxurious state. These ideas underline the philosophy that happiness and success in a society are rooted in justice and wisdom, rather than material wealth.