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Plato's Republic Argument

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Plato's Republic Argument
In this essay, I will attempt to evaluate the text of James Butler’s Justice and the Fundamental Question of Plato’s “Republic,” and analyze his position. The article was aimed at proving that Plato’s Republic is grounded within the ideals that justice is welcomed for its own sake, indicating that the act of justice is done as an end in itself rather than to achieve some other purpose and that justice there unfolds the highest degree of happiness in one’s life. It draws attention to proving that the Republic should be studied as being thoroughly eudaimonistic. Since reading the article, I can confirm that I stand convinced by Butler’s claim in the intentions of the “Republic.” As I absorbed his thoroughly explained and persuasive arguments, …show more content…
Moreover, there was no specific text in the Republic where justice is directly referred to being a component to happiness. Secondly, despite arguing that justice is above health, Irwin himself cannot help but submit to embrace health since it is more comfortable than being in an ill condition. A quote where he admits to this is included in the article, which additionally serves to portray his argument as invalid. Lastly, Irwin misinterprets the differences between ‘welcomed for its own sake’ and ‘welcomed for its consequences.’ Butler suggests that the actual differences between the two are that a good is between being a means to happiness in its instantaneous features, or being a means to happiness in its wider aspects. As a result, Butler recognizes that Irwin must be credited for correctly thinking that the Republic is a piece intended to solve the answer to the definition of happiness and why justice should be embraced for the reason that it is a manner of leading the happiest life. Nevertheless, Irwin stands as holding inadequate arguments for proving that justice is a part of happiness, instead of justice being producing …show more content…
Here lies the direct comparison Socrates makes between the happiness of those who lead just and unjust lives. Three proofs are given according to the just life. Butler interprets these proofs as arguments made by Socrates that the happiest life simply is the most pleasant life to live; the just life is more content than the unjust life. Pleasure is used as the dominant response in measuring the just and unjust life. The unjust life is consumed with dissatisfaction and pain whilst the just life is one filled with virtue, elegance, and beauty. Correspondingly, what makes life happiest is that it most pleasant and pleasurable. Butler concludes that Plato issued the Republic with the intention of proving that justice is better than injustice because justice produces the happiest most pleasure-filled

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