In the United States, the law requires that a moving vehicle must come to a complete stop at a red light. Refusing to do so could lead to legal action. Imagine a situation in which an individual is driving a sick loved one home, in the early hours of the morning, so that he or she can take necessary medications, but comes to an excessively long red light. The question then arises as to what the driver should do. If there is absolutely no risk of collision with an oncoming vehicle, the driver may take the risk and pass the traffic lights illegally. On the other hand, he/she could obey the law and wait at the traffic light until it turns green. Different political theorists have provided different views on the relationship between the individual and the government, especially its laws. Each theory, therefore, suggests a different solution to this situation. Plato, writing the Republic, seeks to determine a definition of justice and the best way to govern society. According to him, justice is achieved when everyone in a given society adheres to their assigned roles and responsibilities without intruding on those of others. He believes that an ideal government would be led by a “philosopher king”. In describing why this would be a preferred constitution to democracy, for example, Plato uses an analogy involving a ship. It describes a ship with a crew that rules over it versus one with a captain that leads those men. The crew, if responsible, does not have the necessary skills to maintain the vessel. Conflicting ideas and the inability to possess the necessary skills make this situation disastrous, according to Plato. Therefore, a captain is necessary to keep the ship and its crew in order. This figure would have the knowledge and talent needed to keep a ship running and get it to its destination. Plato believes that a society must be governed by itself