Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Importance of justice in society
Importance of justice in society
Morality and money
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Importance of justice in society
Is the life of a unjust person better then a just person? To figure this out, we first will have to examine the life of an unjust and just person. There are several claims that the life of an unjust person is better then just. Thrasymachos claims that justice is nothing but the advantage of the stronger. Gluacon believes that being unjust but still attain the reputation of a just could achieve you a good life. I will be arguing that injustice in today’s society is at peak and unjust people are taking advantage of the just. Thrasymachos has two important claims. First, that the art of ruling is not to benefit the inferior but the stronger. The argument he makes with this claim is that the leaders of any type of political society make laws …show more content…
They take advantage of them to build a reputation for themselves. The desire to live a luxurious life, respect, and honor in a “civil” society. The unjust people will not be living with any type of social “ideology” rather they will be focused on making money for themselves. Therefore, if we examine a life of a just person, his lifestyle would be horrific. That particular person would be poor and will be lacking value in society. However, this person will have a ideology that he will live by. This will show him the fundamentals of life and this will make him realize how good or evil the surrounding society is. Since the just person is living with a set of principles, that would give him a reputation in society? The reputation will include respect and most importantly …show more content…
He claims that unjust people could learn how to be convincing in speech and attributes like the just people, and gain reputation. They will use the “just” label to make more money and have all the necessities that they require. He also mentions that it is simple to manipulate humans but how will you cheat the gods. Religion could also be manipulated for benefit of the unjust person. Since the proof of religion and gods is taught by priests and scholars, it is also taught that if you spend and make sacrifices for gods your sins could be forgiven. Therefore, the unjust have a lot of money and they could make these kinds of sacrifices and rituals and be pure and forgiven of sins. This will allow them to have a bright afterlife as
Initially Thrasymachus states that Justice is ‘nothing else but the interest of the stronger’. Cross and Woozley identify four possible interpretations; the Naturalistic definition, Nihilistic view, Incidental comment, and the more useful Essential analysis. The ‘Essential Analysis’: “An action is just if and only if it serves the interest of the stronger,” with Thrasymachus stating the disadvantages of Justice and advantages of Injustice. This leads to problems with the stronger man, is it merely the promotion of self-interests? If Justice favours the interests of the stronger, is this simply from the perception of the weak with morality not concerning the stronger? Cross re-formulates Thrasymachus’s view as ‘Justice is the promotion of the ‘strongers’ interest’, therefore both weak and strong can act justly in furthering the strongers interests. However, complication occurs when we understand that Justice is another’s good: “You are not aware tha...
Thrasymachus starts off by stating his conclusion: justice is the advantage of the stronger. He then gives Socrates two premises that he uses to arrive at his conclusion first that rulers of cities are stronger than their subjects and second that rulers declare what is just and unjust by making laws for their subjects to follow. Since justice is declared by the stronger then it must surely be a tool for the stronger.
Thrasymachus' perspective of human nature is that we all seek to maximize power, profit and possessions. He gives the argument that morality is not an objective truth but rather a creation of the stronger (ruling) party to serve its own advantage. Therefore definitions of "just" and "unjust", "right" and "wrong", "moral" and "immoral" are all dependent upon the decree of the ruling party. Thrasymachus argues that acting "morally", in accordance with the ruling party, benefits the ruling party, while acting "immorally", injures the ruling party and benefits oneself.
Based on this, it can be said that what is good for the stronger is too good for the weaker. Then Thrasymachus quickly responds because Socrates asks him if he is sure in what he is saying. To prove his stand he talks about ‘ruling a city' where the one in power will put rules to his/her own benefit. In turn, those who obey the rules will be acting for the sake of
Each philosopher had a different view on who was considered the “stronger” between the rulers and the ruled. On Nietzsche’s account, justice is the advantage of the “weak” at the time, those in numerical favour. He divided society into the noble who had virtues of war compared to the plebs who believed in peacefulness. He argues that those in power are the ones who are the most unstable due to the fact that they lack survival instincts and the morality of peace and happiness. Thrasymachus has a reverse justification as he chooses those who rule to be the strongest of society. He believes in this due to the fact that the rulers get to create conventions that are to their
Upon the summation of the debate between Polemarchus and Socrates, Thrasymachus enters into the fray. He states that justice “is nothing other than advantage of the stronger” (Republic 338c), and also that the greatest life is that of perfect injustice, to be found in the life of a tyrant. This definition leaves no room for the common good because it creates a life of compet...
The debate between Thrasymachus and Socrates begins when Thrasymachus gives his definition of justice in a very self-interested form. Thrasymachus believes that justice is only present to benefit the ruler, or the one in charge – and for that matter any one in charge can change the meaning of justice to accommodate their needs (343c). Thrasymachus provides a very complex example supporting his claim. He states that the man that is willing to cheat and be unjust to achieve success will be by far the best, and be better than the just man.
To begin, however, I believe it is necessary to define an "unjust" law. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, "Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." (King, 3) According to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority compels a minority group to obey, but does not make binding on itself." (King, 4)
Thrasymachus defines justice as the advantage of the stronger. “I say justice is nothing other than what is advantageous for the stronger” (338c). Thrasymachus explains how rulers are the most powerful people in the city, who make the laws, which are just therefore making the rulers the stronger. He explains that rulers make laws that will benefit themselves; whether this means they make laws that are just depends on the type of ruler. “democracy makes democratic ones, tyranny tyrannical ones…” (338 10e), he is saying that if one is democratic their laws will be fair and just but if not they will make unfair rules and therefore be unjust. Thrasymachus explains that the reason he thinks that justice is the advantage for the stronger is because the people who rule cities have more power than everyone else and therefore determine what the rules are and what is just.
...s are a paradigm case of those in control. The essence of ruling is, therefore, to be unjust and that is why a tyrant is a perfect ruler. He always knows what is to his advantage and how to acquire it. Thrasymachus’ view of justice is appealing but therein lies a moral danger and this is refuted by Socrates.
Thrasymachus’s main argument is that, “Justice is nothing but the advantage of the stronger” (338c). In other words, Thrasymachus believes justice is advantageous to the stronger because those who behave justly are disadvantaged, and the strong who behave unjustly are advantaged. In his sense injustice is more profitable than justice because it allows people to enjoy benefits they would not obtain if they were to act just.
...s. When justice reigns in man's soul, he is a happy man and rules over his soul like a good ruler rules over a society. When injustice reigns in his soul, he is an unhappy man, just as men under an unjust ruler are unhappy. Injustice always brings bondage, so the man who lives in injustice is in bondage either to his own failings or to an evil society. Whether the just man receives extra rewards beyond the happiness of living in a just soul is beside the point. His soul is his world, and if it is a just one, it is a happy place to live.
Last but not least, injustice does not provide the most good for the most number of people. Just acts spawn other just acts just like unjust acts spawn other unjust acts. If everyone behaved unjustly, mankind would return to a state of nature (everyone is for themselves) which would be very unprofitable for the unjust individual due to a decreased likelihood of survival. An action is clearly unprofitable for the unjust individual if it would eventually create a hostile environment for him. Hence, one should set an example for others by living a just life which would create a better environment for him as well as for others.
...he justice system is not always successful. Although the idea of fairness is present, how it plays out can vary. Justice is only a moral based idea. People are bound by their own values, not a universal set of values.
Assigning blame has become an increasingly difficult and complex concept to understand, especially in our legal court system. I associate blame with being held responsible for the consequences of one’s intentional actions. In regards to sexual assault cases, I think the blame should not be placed on the victims, but rather on the perpetrators. Victim blaming justifies the perpetrator’s actions, discourages sexual assault reportings, and can have psychological effects on the victim.