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.