Demonstrating the Virtues of the Just Life Essay -- Essays Papers

Demonstrating the Virtues of the Just behavior The character of Socrates in Platos Republic is a curious one. Socrates is rarely satisfied with widely or casually accepted statements, and is fearless in taking on enormous topics for debate. One such topic that Socrates tackles archean and often in the Republic is that of justice and the just life. It takes little quantify for Socrates to begin an attempt at demonstrating to two of his friends, Glaucon and Adei military mantus, that in fact it pays to be just. After much debate and even the creation of a fabricated metropolis, a resolution of some kind is reached. Socrates does succeed in persuade his opposition that it pays to be just, however he does not demonstrate tell fact. The difference is subtle, but profound. The debate begins when Glaucon makes the powerful claim that, the life of the cheating(prenominal) man is, after all, far better than that of the just man (Plato, Republic1, 358c2). H e and Adeimantus beg Socrates to respond, and in response Socrates decides that to consider justice in a man, it would be easier to consider justice in something larger, namely a city. He begins the creation of a fictional city with the necessities of the citizens, and then the responsibilities each citizen has to the city, namely, to hold up the profession that one is best at. To protect the city, its citizens, and its land, a class of guardians is to be created. This leads to the discussion of education, and finally to the third class of the population, the wise rulers. Socrates has created a three-tiered city that he claims is just. Once the city has been completed and it is inspected, Socrates declares that the definition of justice that they stimulate been search... ...y saying that, isnt to produce justice to establish the parts of the intellect in a coitus of mastering, and being mastered by, one another(prenominal) that is according to nature, while to pr oduce injustice is to establish a relation of ruling, and being ruled by, one another that is contrary to nature? (444d). Isnt it better to lead a just life if doing so prevents internal chaos and maintains order in the soul? It seems that answer is yes, but the inquire rests on a fallacy. The connection between injustice in a city as chaos among the classes, and injustice in a man as chaos in the soul has never been sufficiently shown. Socrates has failed his demonstration.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------1 Plato. Republic. Trans. Allan Bloom. primary Books, 1968.2 Stephanus numbers and letters used to cite all works of Plato.