Relationship Between Politics And Justice In Antigone

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Antigone is a play written by Sophocles and The Apology and Crito are two works written by Plato. Both these works bring up the notions and the relation between politics and justice. The Cambridge Dictionary defines politics “as the activities of the government, members of law-making organizations, or people who try to influence the way a country is governed, and the study of the ways in which a country is governed” (“Politics”). Justice can be defined as what is right, what can procur us the best outcome. However, as humans we have decided/been forced to live in a political community in order to live together in peace. In the interest of living and surviving as a whole, laws have to be applied. Laws by which humans who are part of this community
In these two stories, the two main characters, Antigone and Socrates both decide at one point to disobey a law because they consider it unjust. Disobeying these laws was the right thing to do according to them. Socrates disobeyed the law in favor of his ideas on how life should be lived, he defends a philosophical life driven by justice, vertu and truth. He consequently spends his time questioning the laws, the people around him … which unfortunately brings him a death sentence. In Antigone’s case, she decided to disobey Creon - the king of Thebes’s - because he refused to give her brother a proper funeral because he is a traitor. She goes ahead and gives him a proper funeral behind Creon’s back which destines her to a death sentence as well. Antigone ought to obey an unjust law because; politics and ethics are not compatible in society and she has a duty to obey the
He wants us to philosophize on life in the interest of having a philosophical life. He defends critical thinking. We can see in this text, Socrates go around the city and questions everyone, the merchants, the politicians … He questions the laws of society, the power that make the society function, challenges authority, wisdom, the common opinion, tradition and he questions god. This gives him the right to question their authority and accordingly their legitimacy as he finds out that authorities can be ranked; politics have authority and legitimacy but gods have more. Nonetheless, the ultimate form of authority and legitimacy would be an independent standard of right or wrong to which each one of us must obey to, first and foremost before anything else. You must live and act in a just and wise manner.
Following in the footsteps of Socrates, Antigone chooses to act upon what she believes is right which is saving her brother. She feels like she has a duty to her family that is higher than her duty to her political authority, her king. Political duties cannot be our highest ones. What she values the most in her life is doing the right thing for her brother - she values it more then her life in itself. We could pose the question of whether an ethical life is more important than life

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