Justice Essay, Research Paper
Justice in Plato’s Republic
Paper 2
In the Republic, Plato attempts to answer one of philosophy’s most
central questions: What is justice or right conduct? Thrasymachus, who is
upset at Socrates’ rhetoric interrupts, suggests that justice is what is
in the interest of the stronger.
Thrasymachus’s view of justice is that justice is the advantage of
the stronger. Thrasymachus explains this by expressing that the
government makes rules to its own advantage and so it is declared just for
their people. Socrates argues Thrasymachus’s view by insisting that
rulers command certain acts on their subjects which sometimes mistake
their own best interest causing themselves harm. Thrasymachus agrees with
Socrates that rulers often do act against what is in their own interest
and that sometimes the stronger orders the weaker, their subject, to do
what is disadvantageous to themselves. Thrasymachus says it is just to
obey the orders of the rulers and just is the advantage of the stronger.
The more important opinion of justice by Thrasymachus is that
justice benefits other people while injustice benefits you. The stronger
person uses his/her strength advantage to his/her advantage.
Socrates catches Thrasymachus contradicting himself by stating
that justice requires doing what is to the stronger advantage.
Thrasymachus says that the stronger sometimes makes mistakes and orders
something not to his advantage and justice requires subjects to obey
stranger. Therefore, justice sometimes requires subjects to do what is not
to the stronger’s advantage. This statement is a contradiction to
Thrasymachus’s first remark.
Thrasymachus then introduces craft assumption. Socrates believes
that true crafts people pursue not their own advantage, but the subjects
of their craft and that rulers are considered craftsmen. Socrates
concludes that true rulers seek not their own advantage, but their
advantage of their subjects. Rulers use their craft to the advantage of
their subject and not for their own advantage.
Thrasymachus denies that true craftsman seek not their own
advantage but, the subjects of their craft by giving example of the
shepherds and cowherds. They do not seek the good of their animal instead
their sole purpose is fattening them for their own good.
The question that is produced is: What makes something the subject
of a craft?” Two elements make something a subject. First, it needs to
be the thing that is practiced on. Sheep are the shepherd’s subject
because they are being practiced on. The second thing is that the subject
is the beneficiary of the craft. In this case, patients are the subjects
of the doctor because they are the ones being treated of the illness.
The dictionary definition of justice is that it is an abstract
principle by which right and wrong are defined or the principle of moral
or ideal rightness.
This objection creates a major point of controversy that Socrates
would like to expose falsehood. One example that Socrates points to is the
honor among thieves. The same way that division and self interest pulls
apart thieves, injustice will pull apart the soul.