...Human nature drives individuals to define the most perplexing concepts; however, understanding the true meaning refers to more than its denotation. The definition of justice proves to be a conflicting view point, dating back to Socrates’s attempted explanation in Plato’s The Republic. Within the first book, Socrates finds himself exposing the flaws behind three definitions of justice proposed by the traditionalists of Athens. Through Socrates’s ridicule of physical attributions equating to justice, he disproves these perceived virtues and conveys the necessity for a lack of physicality. Due to Celphalus’s patrician status within the ancient Athenian society, he derives his definition of justice through his high financial position. After speaking...
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...In Plato’s “The Republic” Book II, a philosopher by the name of Glaucon is introduced. He believes that the value of justice needs to be examined further. He does not agree with what Socrates’ defines as justice. Socrates believes that justice is a worthy goal as both an end and as a means to an end. Glaucon offers to play the devil's advocate to Socrates’ view of justice by saying that justice has no intrinsic value and only the consequences matter. Glaucon uses Thrasymachus’ argument, from Book I, as the basis for his first point. Thrasymachus believed that anything ‘good’ could be separated into three categories. The first represented anything that was a “good we like for its own sake (Plato 33)”. The second category represents things that are good based...
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...In book 2 of Plato's Republic, Glaucon challenges Socrates to explain why he believes it is better to be just than unjust. Using the analogy of Ring of Gyges, Glaucon Socrates to explain why anyone should still desire justice even if there are no further ends to be pursued such as good reputation and honour. Socrates then offers a conception of justice which goes beyond the definitions offered by his previous interlocuters earlier on in the Republic. This essay will first aim to discuss in detail the challenge set forth by Glaucon followed by an analysis of Socrates' conception of justice with reference to his city-soul analogy. Glaucon claims, on behalf of the average Athenian, that justice is purely a social construction, valued by the masses in view of obtaining a good reputation for justice and virtue(358a). He claims that goods are of three kinds: (1)Goods valued only for what they are and not for their consequences, (2)goods valued for what they are and for their consequences, and (3) goods valued only for their consequences(357b-d). After the two agree on justice belonging to the goods of type-2, Glaucon proceeds to give an explanation of the majority's conception of justice by giving an account of its origins: Before any laws came to be...
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...Introduction: In this paper, I will argue that Plato’s reply to Glaucon’s first objection, that justice is no more than a compromise is not a valid statement in the following three points. First, I will briefly explain the objection of Glaucon, that justice is no more than a compromise. Secondly, I will explain Plato’s reply to Glaucon’s first objection. Next, I will show the weaknesses on Plato’s claim based on one of the three parts of soul that he stands, desire. Thirdly, I will convince that Plato’s view of justice is indeed too narrow since his definition of justice is only limited to human beings. Finally, I will argue on Plato’s idea of rule of reason would lead to result of no more internal conflict. In this paragraph, I am going to state about Glaucon’s objection that justice is no more than a compromise and briefly explain Plato’s reply on Glaucon’s objection. The statement of “justice is no more than a compromise” comes from Glaucon’s second class of good: good that “are onerous but beneficial to us, and we wouldn’t choose them for their own sakes, but for the sake of the rewards and other things that come from them” [357C]. This illustrates the idea that people might do “just” things (according to the mainstream of that time, law, conventions) while they have outweigh the consequence of doing the “unjust” thing. Which Glaucon concludes that it is just a compromise of being just instead of its initial goal was to be just. People could act unjustly if they could...
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...Plato and Moral Obligations The idea of moral obligation has been questioned for centuries. Not only has there never been a straight answer, one will fail to manifest in the future. Likewise, even the most enlightened philosophers, such as Plato, have yet to conclude a thesis. But Plato did believe that we can create balance and order in our society through justice. Plato’s teachings of moral obligation are still followed today, but many laws and regulations, such as the death penalty, ultimately contradict the most cerebral philosopher of all time. Plato believed that a person’s moral obligatory behavior should be expressed by rationality. He also believed that moral obligation is based on five universals. Plato explains his reasoning using an example of man’s interests. Plato simply believed that a man should live by asking what benefits him, or what contributes to his own happiness. By entrusting that society is responsible, a man’s desire to be beneficial to “himself” would ultimately help other within the society. Thus a society of moral citizens would exist. Plato would believe to say that morality is what promotes the agent’s happiness. This can be explained by the “good feeling” a person gets when they do a good deed. Although Plato had a good understanding of proper moral behavior, he wanted to know what in general actually was rational for someone to do. Therefore the question of what moral behavior really is comes into mind yet again. Plato also created a two-fold...
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...virtue, Aristotle believes all men can be virtuous with practice and dedication. GREAT. WAY TO GET TO THE POINT. BE SURE TO MENTION WHETHER OR NOT YOU'RE ARGUING THAT VIRTUE IS INTRINSICALLY GOOD. HAVE IT SMACK ME IN THE FACE IT'S SO OBVIOIUS. (LIKE THAT TYPO). Plato’s Republic contains one of the greatest recorded discussions on the nature of justice. His definition of justice can be interpreted today as virtue, or the proper working of the soul. Plato argues in this work that virtue is inherently good only when it is manifest in the perfectly ordered soul of the philosopher. This philosopher is born just and inherently good, thereby making him the only individual capable of loving and seeking after virtue completely. …..... I'M GUESSING THIS ATTACHES TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH? AND I'M NOT SURE HOW I FEEL ABOUT “BORN JUST”. REMEMBER, IT ISN'T “INBORN” BUT IT IS NATURAL. YOU AREN'T BORN THAT WAY. YOU TEND TOWARDS IT, THOUGH. Only through virtue, or justice as he calls it, can a man receive happiness, and this hints at the inherent goodness of virtue. A man’s soul will only be truly content when he is doing what he is good at and meant to do. This theory of specialization is discussed in depth in Book Two and throughout Plato’s Republic. …..... I'M GUESSING THIS ATTACHES TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH? AND I'M NOT SURE HOW I FEEL ABOUT “BORN JUST”. REMEMBER, IT ISN'T “INBORN” BUT IT IS NATURAL. YOU AREN'T BORN THAT WAY. YOU...
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...three different philosophers with a never-ending struggle to keep a balance between the community and the Individual. By explaining their views he/she will find different definitions from the philosophers on how to live as an individual under a ruler and how a good citizen should be characterized. For example in Antigone a good citizen would not have gone against the law and buried their sibling in one of the philosopher eyes, but in another’s it made Antigone find happiness so the deed would be cleared and would make it ok. A philosopher of Athens named Socrates believed one could only judge him/herself, if he/she knows what is good or bad in their own eyes. “…Crito, why should we care so much about public opinion?” says Socrates in Plato’s ‘Crito’. Socrates compared the individual ‘Crito’ to the state or community. In his eyes all men/women make up a state or community. Life without questioning and examination isn’t worth living because by questioning you learn the answers to the questions you originally had. Learning results to knowledge and knowledge is what makes a good leader. Socrates believed a good ruler was one who listened to his people and when the people of the community came to him/her with issues he/she would sort them out with the best intellect he/she could give, including what was right while also abiding by the law. To Socrates a good citizen was one who asked him/herself everyday “What was the greater good?” By asking this question he/she would go out and...
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...The Good Life In life there are many questions to be answered; where do we come from? What does life hold for us, is there anything after death? In ancient times several centuries before the birth of Christ, there were two Greek philosophers who sought the answer to one question. Thucydides and Plato’s ventured to know what is a “good life”; is it having everything you want or need through whatever means necessary? Is it an enlightenment of the mind, body and soul? These two philosopher’s ideas of what the “good life” was differed greatly. Through Thucydides perspective during the Peloponnesian war. Living a good life meant to be “materially self-sufficient”. During the prelude to the war between Athens and Melos; a sub colony of the Spartans connected through heritage. Thucydides explains that “might” makes right in times of war not justice. He believed that to have a good life one must be strong, that “the strong do what they will, the weak will suffer what they must, and morality is irrelevant” (Newton CHP1 P1). Such beliefs seem to hold the life of man as a selfish one Thucydides’ life was lived off the theory that there was no place for the likes of justice in the traditional meaning of the word. That to be happy one should need to take what one needs, and if they could not, then they were weak and could not live the good life. Contrary to Thucydides views on the “good life”, Plato believed that enlightenment and the pursuit of knowledge was what made a good life not...
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...Just individuals : In his book ‘The Republic’, Plato searches for justice within the individual and what makes a person ‘just’. By comparing his sense of what is just at a political level and what is just at a psychological level he suggests three virtues of the individual which will make that particular person just. The virtues of wisdom, courage and moderation are common to both a just and the fictional just city of Kallipolis. This artificial city has the pre-determined virtue of being just – he does this in order to understand what justice is for the individual because Plato thinks that ‘a just man won’t differ at all from a just city in respect to the form of justice; rather he’ll be like the city.’ (Republic 435b) In the just city Plato creates three classes: the producers, the guardians and the rulers. Each of these three classes has a certain virtue it has to display to fulfill the ‘just city’ pre-requisite that Plato has placed upon Kallipolis. The rulers are required to exhibit wisdom so that ‘a whole city established according to nature would be wise because of the smallest class and part in it, namely the governing or ruling one. And to this class, belongs a share of the knowledge that alone among all the other kinds of knowledge is to be called wisdom.’ (428e-429a) The wisdom enjoyed by the rulers would be used to ensure that the city has ‘good judgement and [be] really wise.’ (428d) The guardians (soldiers) of Kallipolis would be educated in order to absorb...
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...the question ‘What is Justice?’ Unlike other dialogues starring Socrates, The Republic provides an answer for the question being posed, instead of leaving readers puzzled. Using Socrates as a mouth piece, Plato creates a formula to define justice using an ideal society, the soul of an individual in an ideal society, and the greek social virtues. By using a mathematical argument to link the tasks in society, with the parts of the soul, and matching them to social virtues, Plato is able to provide an acceptable definition of justice that embodies both the ideals of a society and of an individual. In order to locate justice, Plato performs a though experiment where he creates an ideal society. In the ideal society everyone has a merit-based assignment. Plato states that in the perfect society there are three categories of people. There are the rulers, the auxiliaries, and the craftsmen. The rulers are in charge of ruling the ideal society, the auxiliaries are in charge of policing the ideal society, and the craftsmen are in charge of creating the basic tools to fulfill society’s needs. In Greece many accept that in an ideal society there are four standard virtues: wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice. Plato argues that since his society is ideal the standard virtues must be within the society. He also argues that if we are able to locate the standard values in society we will be able to locate justice. Plato uses an elimination method to locate justice. Plato links the value...
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...Justice has always been an interesting topic for philosophers and also for ordinary people. Justice can be defined briefly as “the fairness in the way that people are treated” (Collins Cobuild, p. 910). Plato and Aristotle, two leading figures of ancient Greek civilization, were earliest philosophers who thought about justice and developed theories about the sublime aspects of being just. This assignment is an attempt to prove that pursuing a life of justice would make living more worthwhile than being unjust or a combination of just and unjust life. In order to reach this point, I am going to explain the concept of justice and its superior aspects from the perspective of both Plato and Aristotle by taking help from their famous works “The Republic” and “The Nicomachean Ethics”. I will also give place to counter arguments and their rebuttals. I will make my own comments at the final part of the assignment. Plato (427 BC-347 BC) was one of the earlier and most important philosophers of the world and is also known as the founder of “The Academy”. Plato’s most famous work is “The Republic” in which he tries to draw the qualities of a just individual and a just state by explaining the sublime nature of justice. In the first two books of The Republic, dialogues between different characters focus on different meanings of justice. During the conversation two conventional definitions of justice (“giving a man’s due” and “doing good to your friends, harm to your enemies”) are refuted...
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...they are all different now from how they were when Plato coined these ideas. Plato’s doctrine of recollection from my understanding of it basically says that humans are born possessing all knowledge. It further says that we must discover it (rather than learn it). Whether or not you agree with Plato about this idea that we all have this knowledge prior to birth, we can agree on one known fact; by the time children reach the age in which they can reason, they are full of ideas within their minds. Some of these ideas may be correct, while others are not. This idea is exemplified in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Think about, for example, our lecture in Professor Davis’s class when he discussed his daughter’s idea of justice. His daughter reached a certain age where she could decide what justice meant to her, and when she could apply it - so she therefore was able to argue that her father was being unjust in not allowing her to do a certain something. If Professor Davis’s daughter’s idea of what is just and what is not was incorrect, she would have to realize that at some point due to this argument. This therefore shows that before enlightenment comes the realization that one’s beliefs do not match reality. Now, seeing that Plato’s allegory of the cave can adequately fit into the modern day world, it will be much easier to understand this idea of preexisting knowledge. Where did that child’s idea of justice come from? How was she able to...
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...Law and Justice THEORIES OF JUSTICE Plato In Plato’s major work, The Republic, he used Socrates as a mouth piece to develop his on view of justice. Socrates outlines his, i.e Plato’s view of justice both for the individual and for society. Dealing with the man first; a man’s soul has 3 elements: 1. Reason 2. Spirt 3. Appetite or desire A man is just when each of these three elements fulfils its appropriate function and there is a harmonious relationship between them. Within society there are three groups society is just hen each class fulfils its appropriate function and there is a harmonious relationship between them. Therefore Plato viewed justice as harmony between the warring elements. Distributive Justice This is concerned with fairly shaking the benefits such as money, property, family, takes and civic duties of life within an organisation. Aristotle Aristotle stressed the need for proportionality and achieving the middle ay and a proper balance between extremes. He said a ‘just state’ ill distribute its wealth on the basis of worth (merit) therefore giving to each according to their virtue and contribution to society. He stated there was a need for corrective justice to ensure that individuals can keep what they are entitled to. The role of the court is making sure the offender does not benefit from his crime ad victim does not suffer loss. In this sense, the balance or ‘middle way’ is achieved. Thomas Aquinas Illustrated his view of...
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...Many have proclaimed that Plato is making normative claims whereas, Thucydides is making empirical claim. I will address Thucydides versus Plato on the nature of the Good Life, as well as the truth about Thucydides. Thucydides and Plato have different views in their approach to the good life. Thucydides empirical claims , and dismissal of “right & justice” is best known from his famous writings “ The Peloponnesian war.” Whereas, Plato’s normative claims is best known in his writings in “The Republic.” In the Republic Plato states that the proper function of a man is his soul, to live with justice and obtain a harmonious life. The basic concept of Plato's theory about the good life is built on the concept that everything has a purpose, a job, a function. Plato believed that a man’s role is determine by nature, and man cannot decide for themselves what their function may be. In the Republic Plato discusses the proper use of function of man. It is his soul and to live with justice, and obtain a sense of harmony and unity. Lisa H. Newton stated,“in the greatest of all works of philosophy, Plato offers an elegant proof of the proposition: that whether or not the world recognizes and rewards virtue, the just person is the happiest of human beings.” However, I find in today’s society that most just people are not the wealthiest people. Somehow it is a trade off: just and poor, unjust wealthy. Thucydides would definitely disagree with the idea of universal truth of what...
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...Thrasymarchus treats “the advantage of the stronger” and “the advantage of the ruler” as equivalents. He also says that “justice is the advantage of another person rather than oneself”. His point is valid because if one behaves justly, it is highly likely that others will benefit from your behaviour. The problem is that Thrasymarchus’ three formulations are not really similar if taken strictly as definitions of justice. It also seems to be a conflict of interest at times. For instance, if one is a ruler, is it just for one to act for your one’s own advantage of the advantage of another person. His opening slogan depicts a conventionalist account of justice where justice is whatever rulers decree through their legislation and a review of evidence suggests that the decree to their own advantage. Thrasymarchus is not providing a definition of justice but rather laying out the effects of justice that is usually understood in layman terms (Chappell, 1993). He is also presupposing a commonplace and traditional conception of justice first introduced by the early poet Hesiod. One of Hesiod’s concerns was to denounce unjust behaviour like bribe taking, dishonesty, cheating one’s neighbour, perjury and fraud (Boys-Stones and Haubold, 2010). In general, injustice seems to be a behaviour stimulated by pleonexia, the extreme greed...
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