Justice In Book I Of The Republic Essay example - 889 Words

The Republic of Plato begins in a similar fashion that many other Platonic dialogues begin, with that of a question. The conversation between Socrates and the aged Cephalus becomes a philosophical discussion of what advantages money has brought to Cephalus life. Cephalus replies that money has allowed him quot;to tell the truth and pay ones debtsquot; (331 b). Nevertheless, Socrates believes this does not portray an accurate description of what justice is. The rest of the first book is a discussion of the definition of justice, mainly that of Thrasymachus definition. Socrates takes his normal role as an interrogator of peoples views. The conversation focuses on justice but actually must be viewed in the context of how each†¦show more content†¦Therefore, Thrasymachus’ viewpoint in Book I of the Republic is that one’s life can be better if he is unjust because he will have the ability to take advantage of the just man. In fact, he states â€Å"that injustice, w hen practiced on a large enough scale, is stronger and freer and more successful than justice† (344 c) and is â€Å"good policy† (348 d). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;By the end of Book I, Socrates has Thrasymachus agreeing with his view that â€Å"the just man is happy and the unjust man miserable† (353 e), indicating that Thrasymachus has taken back many of his previous statements. This simple statement verifies the fact that Socrates has refuted much of what Thrasymachus argued in Book I; yet, there are a few arguments and statements that makes Socrates’ refutation not as strong as it possibly could be. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;First of all, a careful examination of Socrates’ arguments against Thrasymachus is needed to determine to what extent he refuted Thrasymachus’ viewpoint. One of Socrates’ stronger points is that â€Å"the just man is good and wise after all, and the unjust man is bad and ignorant† (350 c). He convinces Thrasymachus into believing this by asking whether a man of knowledge would follow the standard behavior of other men of knowledge. Thrasymachus grants this to be true, and by using the fact that an unjust man tries to take advantage of all men, Socrates shows that the unjust man is actuallyShow MoreRelatedThe Ethical Egoist in Platos Republic Essay989 Words   |  4 Pages this belief poses a threat to social cooperation and, therefore, clearly introduces a significant political problem. I believe that the best example of ethical egoism is displayed in Book I of Platos The Republic. In this Book, Plato introduces the idea of ethi cal egoism, explains the political problem posed by it, and addresses the problem through the words of Socrates. 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