Free Essays on The Republic

The Republic written by Plato examines many things. It mainly is about the Good life. Plato seems to believe that the perfect life is led only under perfect conditions which is the perfect society. Within the perfect society there would have to be justice. In the Republic it seems that justice is defined many different ways. In this paper I am going to discuss a few. First I am going to discuss the reason why Glaucon and Adeimantus see justice as being a bad thing and it is better to live a unjust life. Plato's elder brother Glaucon argues that the just man is only just because of the fear that he will get caught and punished or the fear of having a bad reputations. He explains this decision in the story of the two magic rings. The rings of magic would make a man invisible whenever he turns it on his finger. He believed that each man would act in the same manor. They would both break into houses unseen, and help themselves to whatever they wanted. The just man would no longer feel the need to be just. He would have two lifestyles one, being just in front of the eyes of the society and two being the unjust man invisible unable to get caught. Glaucon say this proves that people are just only because they find it necessary. Adeimantus another philosopher and Socrates elder brother brought up the fact that we should take a look at the kinds of things people actually say when they get praised justice and condemn injustice. Adeimantus explains by saying that fathers tell there sons to be just because of the good reputations and social prestige that attaches to justice. So it is not justice itself that is recommended, but rather, the respectability that it brings with it. He believes that the son will realize to be just is only worth it if you can get a good reputation. Unless you are truly just the gods will punish you but as we have learned from the poets the gods can be bribed so if you ... Free Essays on The Republic Free Essays on The Republic Most normal individuals in the modern world would assume that all books written, not published, by man are based on either a portion of the author’s imagination, an event (biased or non-biased) in either history or during the life of the author, a straight-out autobiography, or a generalized biography of another person they once knew. However, this philosophical novel fits none of the descriptions above. The book is actually an in-depth recording of a philosophy contest between Plato’s teacher Socrates and several other great philosophers. What is significant about this contest is that, in it, Socrates describes his personal view of a â€Å"perfect world,† and why justice is so important in the process of creating a civilized world. The novel was completed in 370 B.C., and it describes a strong debate between Socrates and five other speakers. The two main arguments that he illustrates in this novel are that a ruler cannot obtain more power than the state, and that a philosopher is best suited to rule a nation since he has the ability to maintain this balance. Also, Socrates claims that only the philosopher has traveled beyond the â€Å"cave† of worldly desires and temptations to discover what justice really is. Socrates’ first major argument is with Thrasymachus in Book I. The current debate lies on the pure definition of justice. Thrasymachus claims that there is only one principle of justice: the interest of the more dominant force. Socrates counters this argument by using the phrase â€Å"the stronger.† He claims that the ruler of a nation will not be aided, but harmed, by an unintentional command, in the long run. Socrates then builds his argument gradually by stating that the good and just man looks out for the interest of the weaker, and not for himself. Thrasymachus tries to counter Socrates’s argument by vaguely proclaiming that injustice is more gainful than justice. However, Socrates bravely explains that the just ... Free Essays on The Republic The Republic written by Plato examines many things. It mainly is about the Good life. Plato seems to believe that the perfect life is led only under perfect conditions which is the perfect society. Within the perfect society there would have to be justice. In the Republic it seems that justice is defined many different ways. In this paper I am going to discuss a few. First I am going to discuss the reason why Glaucon and Adeimantus see justice as being a bad thing and it is better to live a unjust life. Plato’s elder brother Glaucon argues that the just man is only just because of the fear that he will get caught and punished or the fear of having a bad reputations. He explains this decision in the story of the two magic rings. The rings of magic would make a man invisible whenever he turns it on his finger. He believed that each man would act in the same manor. They would both break into houses unseen, and help themselves to whatever they wanted. The just man would no longer feel the need to be just. He would have two lifestyles one, being just in front of the eyes of the society and two being the unjust man invisible unable to get caught. Glaucon say this proves that people are just only because they find it necessary. Adeimantus another philosopher and Socrates elder brother brought up the fact that we should take a look at the kinds of things people actually say when they get praised justice and condemn injustice. Adeimantus explains by saying that fathers tell there sons to be just because of the good reputations and social prestige that attaches to justice. So it is not justice itself that is recommended, but rather, the respectability that it brings with it. He believes that the son will realize to be just is only worth it if you can get a good reputation. Unless you are truly just the gods will punish you but as we have learned from the poets the gods can be bribed so if you live the unjust life you can bribe the gods to not... Free Essays on The Republic The Republic written by Plato examines many things. It mainly is about the Good life. Plato seems to believe that the perfect life is led only under perfect conditions which is the perfect society. Within the perfect society there would have to be justice. In the Republic it seems that justice is defined many different ways. In this paper I am going to discuss a few. First I am going to discuss the reason why Glaucon and Adeimantus see justice as being a bad thing and it is better to live a unjust life. Plato's elder brother Glaucon argues that the just man is only just because of the fear that he will get caught and punished or the fear of having a bad reputations. He explains this decision in the story of the two magic rings. The rings of magic would make a man invisible whenever he turns it on his finger. He believed that each man would act in the same manor. They would both break into houses unseen, and help themselves to whatever they wanted. The just man would no longer feel the need to be just. He would have two lifestyles one, being just in front of the eyes of the society and two being the unjust man invisible unable to get caught. Glaucon say this proves that people are just only because they find it necessary. Adeimantus another philosopher and Socrates elder brother brought up the fact that we should take a look at the kinds of things people actually say when they get praised justice and condemn injustice. Adeimantus explains by saying that fathers tell there sons to be just because of the good reputations and social prestige that attaches to justice. So it is not justice itself that is recommended, but rather, the respectability that it brings with it. He believes that the son will realize to be just is only worth it if you can get a good reputation. Unless you are truly just the gods will punish you but as we have learned from the poets the gods can be bribed so if you ...