Socrates describes a perfect city in Plato’s The Republic. Many questions are asked in the book‚ such as “What is an ideal city?” Or‚ “What is justice?” And‚ “Is justice in the city possible?” Socrates tries to find the real meaning of the word justice. He starts with justice within a single person‚ and then he tries to take that concept and apply it to the city. Then‚ to figure out the perfect city‚ he goes back to the single person to find justice there. He shows that the perfect city needs the
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The Justice of “The Republic” In his book “the Republic”‚ Plato tried to build up an ideal society. He divided the ideal society into three classes: rulers‚ guardians‚ and workers. As long as each class of people lived harmonious and did their responsibilities‚ the society would become stable and prosperous. How did make people live with harmony? Obviously‚ the core issue of “the republic” is justice. Justice is a proper‚ harmonious relationship among the people in the three classes. Plato suggested
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What is justice? Why do men behave justly? Is it because they fear the consequences of injustice? Is it worthwhile to be just? Is justice a good thing in and of itself regardless of its rewards or punishments? Speaking through his teacher Socrates‚ Plato attempts to answer these questions in the Republic. In book I Thrasymachus‚ a rival of Socrates makes the claim that justice is nothing but the advantage of the stronger. It does not pay to be just because those who behave unjustly naturally gain
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In the Republic of Plato‚ Justice has been discussed in the first two chapters. Many conversations are presented either by people engaged in these debates or Socrates himself leading these debates. Individuals engaged in the debates discuss on how can a person be “Just” or “Unjust” to get to the main understanding of “Justice” itself. In particular to be a just person‚ this justification has to be examined on the political sense‚ which is basically the definition of justice in the city‚ and in the
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Justice‚ he said‚ is nothing more than the advantage of the strong. Although Thrasymachus claims that this is a definition‚ it is not really intended as a definition of justice as much as it is the delegitimization of justice. He said that it does not pay to be just. behavior only works for the benefit of others‚ not to those who behave fairly. Thrasymachus assuming here that justice is not a reasonable restraint on our natural desire to have more. Justice is a convention imposed on us‚ and it does
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Sub areas of philosophy Metaphysics – what is? Epistemology – what can I know? Ethics – what ought to be? Logic- what is good reasoning? Plato Student of Socrates There are no recorded teaching of Socrates Plato three different periods- early middle and late Middle- what is ethics and what is morality? Morality- give back to what is due. Is morality the following of a rule or is it something more involved? Do you really achieve obedience by punishing? Thrasymuchas- morality is
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February 2012 The Republic Art has always been controversial in a society because of the many different ways the artist tends to express themselves. Plato‚ who helped lay the foundation for western culture‚ saw the problems in art over 2‚000 years ago. Plato’s The Republic is a series of books that discusses the republic that Plato is trying to create. In each book Plato touches on different topics dealing with the art‚ that he feels effect society then. Today‚ some of the points that Plato argue can still
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The Republic of Plato Before I started reading Plato’s the Republic‚ I was loathe to admit that reading those philosophy books were gonna really change how I view myself. It was totally a waste of time to read these vague and complicated books. As I went on reading the republic‚ I saw many similar things that still existed in our society. In the book‚ Plato prescribes severe dictates concerning the cultural life of the city. He rules out all poverty‚ with the exception of hymns to the gods and
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wrote "One man’s justice is another’s injustice." This statement quite adequately describes the relation between definitions of justice presented by Polemarchus and Thrasymachus in Book I of the Republic. Polemarchus initially asserts that justice is "to give to each what is owed" (Republic 331d)‚ a definition he picked up from Simonides. Then‚ through the unrelenting questioning of Socrates‚ Polemarchus’ definition evolves into "doing good to friends and harm to enemies" (Republic 332d)‚ but this
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Following on from Thrasymachus’ attack on justice‚ book 2 begins with Glaucon and Adeimantus drawing agreement to this attack‚ seeking however‚ to establish a more robust approach to why morality is unprofitable- distancing thus from the social contract theory. Glaucon divides the notion of the goods into three classes; the first class explores the instrumental kind‚ where things are only desirable in virtue of the consequences (necessary evil)‚ this evident in his examples of physical training and
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