Plato and Thrasymachus Essay - 1061 Words

Platos Notion of Justice vs. Thrasymachus, Why Be Moral? By: Khonstance Milan Plato has a different sense of justice than what we ourselves would consider to be justice. Justice starts in the heart and goes outward. Justice is about being a person of good intent towards all people, doing what is believed to be right or moral. Plato believes that once a person has a true understanding of justice that they will want to be â€Å"just† for its own benefit regardless of good or bad consequence. Though being just is known to have good consequences also makes being â€Å"just† a positive trait. (Clark, 2003, 13) Living a â€Å"just† life is good and good is the â€Å"well being of well living, the best life is supreme good.† (Bao, 2011, 259) The cause of†¦show more content†¦Then trouble comes when war breaks out because of â€Å"greed, pride, vanity, and envy.† The people want more than what they need, which calls for more land. With us as people our vices come out when we too want more than what we actually need. Examples are greed for more money even though we are comfortable. Also envy of our neighbors brand new car even though we have two that run fine. Thrasymachus believes that justice is not in self’s best interest but in that of the rulers. He says justice prevents our true desires which prevent our happiness. Even when the people believe that their well being is considered be calls them naà ¯ve. He compares the people to that of sheep being fed for the slaughter. (Clark, 2003, 9) He answers the question of whether justice pays with a flat no. On the other hand if you can get away with being unjust secretively and come off to others as a â€Å"just† person then that is better. It is better for society to think you are doing right and moral acts while getting what you want which I do not believe to be â€Å"just† at all. Thrasymachus does not think of justice in terms of beneficial acts. He does not connect being a moral person with happiness. He cares about the benefit of the strong and how they use their power. â€Å"In other words the strong are able to take what they want, whether this is much or little. And theShow MoreRelatedThe Ethical Egoist: Whats the Problem in Plato’s The Republic, Socrates824 Words   |  3 PagesSocrates pokes holes in all of their statements. Socrates argues that there are many problems with their views on social philosophy, especially when it comes to Thrasymachus’ idea of ethical egoism. Plato delivers his view of justice through Socrates when he responds to Thrasymachus, Glaucon, and Cephalus on the issue. 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