There are numerous theories based around the concept of Justice and what exactly it is. The following essay will answer the question what is justice, by giving a brief description of the different conceptions of justice. It will then go into more detail by focusing on Plato’s model of Justice. It will discuss the idea of Plato’s Just State and Plato’s Just Individual.
Justice is a concept which is present in every society. According to yourdictionary.com, justice is defined as ‘the use of power as appointed by law, honour or standards to support fair treatment and due reward’. Nowadays, we tend to think of justice in this way, as a system of law enforcement. The rules are set down as laws by the state and then they are enforced. It can differ
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Plato was a Greek Philosopher. He wrote a Socratic Dialogue around 380BC called ‘The Republic’. This is one of the most influential works of philosophy to date. His account of justice is split into two separate parts. Firstly he gives his description of his idea of justice in the state and then the individual. For Plato, justice is ‘justice is the ultimate virtue of both individuals and the social system’ (philosopypages.com) The idea of democracy was a ‘recipe for societal disaster’ in the view of Plato. This was because the idea of people’s right to rule themselves would allow individuals who were not principally rational to make important decisions. This to Plato was truly unjust. It would certainly force society into …show more content…
Whatever class an individual is placed into depends highly on their character. Each of these three classes has a different function. The first of the three classes are the guardians. The Guardians are the rulers of the cities. They are responsible for laws and governing the cities. They are selected at childhood to undertake difficult education and training. Throughout growing up, some of these people are removed because they do not have the ideal qualities of a guardian. According to Plato, one of the most evident qualities of a guardian is to have a ‘temperamental inclination toward philosophical thinking’ (philosophypages.com). The Guardians are selected from the second of the three classes, the Auxiliaries. The Auxiliaries are warriors. Their main responsibilities include protecting their city from attack and they must ensure that the third of the three classes, the Producers, obey the laws enforced by the Guardians. The Producers are the largest of the three classes in society. They include a lot of occupations like farmers etc. In Plato’s just state, the Producers have no influence on the rule of the city. The Producers focus on what they are best at to have a just
the Republic, Socrates argues that justice ought to be valued both for its own sake and for the sake of its consequences (358a1–3). His interlocutors Glaucon and Adeimantus have reported a number of arguments to the effect that the value of justice lies purely in the rewards and reputation that are the usual consequence of being seen to be just, and have asked Socrates to say what justice is and to show that justice is always intrinsically better than is acting contrary to justice when doing so would win you more non-moral goods. Glaucon presents these arguments as renewing Thrasymachus’ Book 1 position that justice is “another’s good” (358b–c, cf. 343c), which Thrasymachus had associated with the claim that the rulers in any constitution frame
But back then they thought that the social class was bad. For example “ Social class is not allowed to interfere with someone’s merit, and poverty does not block the way”. ( document A). I think that the social class should be able to interfere the any other. That's why I think that ancient athens was truly democratic because all the people should be able to vote and own their own land.
Plato contests this view on justice because he believes doing harm to anyone would be an injustice. This theory leads to their conclusion the just man is one who is useful. Thrasymachus refers to justice in an egoistical manner, saying “justice is in the interest of the stronger” (The Republic, Book I). He believes injustice is virtuous and wise and justice is vice and ignorance, but Socrates disagrees with this statement as believes the opposing view. As a result of continual rebuttals against their arguments,
Justice is one of the most important moral and political concepts. The word comes from the Latin word jus, meaning right or law. According to Kelsen (2000), Justice is primarily a possible, but not a necessary, quality of a social order regulating the mutual relations of men As a result of its importance, prominent and knowledgeable people have shared their views on justice and what it means and how the state is involved in its administration. The likes of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke among others have written extensively on the concept of justice.
Let us break down what justice is; justice is behaviour that is just or fair. So the justice system is the system that enforces the law which involves apprehending the accused, prosecuting the accused, defending the accused, sentencing and punishing the guilty. The justice system makes sure that every citizen is heard for and is helped according to what has happened to them. The criminal justice system today When a person commits a crime there are different levels of punishment and decision making if a person has committed a minor crime like speeding, littering, shoplifting, prostitution, vandalism being drunk, possession of drugs etc.
I believe that Plato believes that people are inherently good and they will do what is morally right and just for society. They will earn their right to power and ensure fairness for all to prevent the tyrants from trying to take control. Plato mentions three main arguments regarding
The Republic, by Plato provides us with four different definitions of justice which are given by the four characters Cephalus, Polemarchus, Thrasymachus, and Glaucon. According to Cephalus, the definition of justice includes the laws and repaying one’s creditors. Socrates doesnot agree to the idea that of repayment of creditors as always to be a good idea. The second person to define Justice was Polymarchus, the son of Cephalus. In his opinion, justice is defined as helping your friends and harming your rivals.
Throughout the history of mankind, society has defined itself by law and the order that law creates. “Laws are the binding rules of conduct or action which the vast majority of the society has to abide”. Justice on the other hand is rather an abstract concept. There is no right or wrong definition of justice, but is rather agreed upon the concept of being fair and equal. Many would assume that the sole purpose of law is to establish justice, which seems like a wonderful philosophical theory but is slightly difficult to follow.
He justifies the need for democracy, aristocracy and monarchy depending on location. The three philosophers use their judgment and prior knowledge on each other’s work to validate an ideal society, especially for the uprising continent of America. Governments are an established institution in every society. Though there are multiple types of governments, their purpose is fundamental to determining the influence on a civilization.
Bothered by Socrates’ logic, Thrasymachus presents a revised version of his previous argument. Thrasymachus says that injustice is stronger than justice and that it most definitely results in a happier life. The example he uses (of a powerful dictator who is made happy through injustice is a reference to his earlier example that justice is used to the advantage of the stronger). Thrasymachus has not greatly changed the principle of his argument, just using alternate examples.
Failure during the Peloponnesian War caused Greeks to question democracy and traditional Greek values. Plato disagreed with the way the state was run, especially after Athens’ loss at war. He discusses the meaning of justice and outlines how the ideal state should be governed in The Republic. He believes that the ideal state should be governed by a class of guardian rulers, who were trained as philosopher-kings. These rulers are the only members of society who could understand the Form of the Good and would be able to rule justly and logically.
Was Plato trying to show what an ‘unjust’ city would look like? Why would he do that? The analysis and discussion of Plato’s ‘just’ city opens new doors about Plato, himself, and his intentions. From this analysis on the city’s short comings, one can spring more and more ideas about his ‘republic’ and his ‘ideals’ forever. This one analysis is only a small interpretation, or perspective of a small portion, or passage of The
1 INTRODUCTION Power and authority are the most important aspects of politics as such way of thinking comes a long way from the earliest thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle to mention few. They are the fundamental features of state in politics, focusing on who should have the power and authority over the people and who should rule them. During the time prior and after the birth of states, political authority has always been a major concern with regards to who should rule and how and who shouldn’t. Therefore this issues need to be addressed in a way that will at the end benefit the society. Plato is the thinker or theorist who came with addressing who should rule in a political environment in what Plato outlined that only Philosophers should rule.
The concept of the Noble Lie is presented by Plato in the Republic. In Republic, Plato is engaged in creating an ideal political community, through the noble lie. The Noble Lie, ironically, despite being a lie, is still recognized as ‘noble’ by Plato since it aims to promote social welfare and harmony amongst the citizens. Plato’s idea of the noble lie led to the division of citizens into three distinct categories, namely, the rulers, the auxiliaries and the workmen . This paper will argue that Socrates principle of the Noble Lie must be considered justifiable under circumstances in which it intends to achieve moral ends.
In Book IV of Plato’s Republic, Socrates and his peers come to the conclusion that a city is going to need people who have an understanding of what justice should be. Socrates at the end of Book IV can make the difference between individual, political, and social justice. He knows that individual and political justice is so much in common because they both weigh in heavy on truth, honor, and appetitive soul. That appetitive soul is an element that helps the secure the just community with love and support.