Preview

Plato Just And Unjust

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
642 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Plato Just And Unjust
There is no doubt, mMorals and actions are controlled and reprehended by a majority or a society. Hard determinism, the theory that an individual's behavior and morals are strictly based on external factors and society is highly accurate. To clarify, if one acts on his or her moral responsibility similar to the universal ethical principle, it will likely be critiqued and result in mass shaming or even detainment. However in other societies this would've been consummately ethical and just and would result in exaltation and praise. How does one know if a society's actions are moral or not? How does one know if their unjust actions are just? To authentically judge a society one must isolate the just and the unjust. As stated in The Republic by Plato,
Now, if we are to form a real judgment of the life of the just and unjust, we must isolate them; there is no other way and how is the isolation to be affected? I answer: Let the unjust man be entirely unjust, and the just man entirely just; nothing is to be taken away from either of them, and both are to be perfectly furnished for the work of their respective lives. (Plato 214)
…show more content…
The isolation of these two opposing societies will aid one in judgement and display if one society will survive or not. However, what Plato stated above actually occurs normally. In every society, there is a just and unjust, the just are known as prosper while the unjust are known as rebellious. The people following the universal ethics principle often have rebellious behavior which leads to separation and a creation of a new society. New societies stemming from other established societies often have different ethics from the originating society, however their culture will stay similar. As stated by

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In many societies, including our own, we labeled the meaning of the word “justice” for the sole purpose of maintaining social and political stability and order for the good of many instead of the few. However, what we believe to be just and unjust in regards to what Plato’s Republic explains about what is actually just and unjust are inadvertently blurred from a somewhat conflicting (if not unintended biased) perspective. These concepts of thought originate in a hierarchical group of knowledge: understanding, thought, belief, and imagination (Socrates 511e); most of which we use for measuring the ideal implementation of practical and critical forms of theory. What we portray justice in the United States today mostly consists of both opinionated…

    • 183 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What is justice? Today, where it is common for people to only look out for themselves, justice is an extremely important tool. But what exactly is justice? What is right, what is wrong, and who decides that? To find an accurate definition, we as a society should not just focus on one opinion, but the views of many. Similar to how our society is today, the society in The Republic, lived the same, struggling to determine what the correct definition of justice was, and how to pursue the right answer. In the paper, I will be discussing all aspects of Plato’s Republic, including the Philosopher King and his nature, and justice in that time.…

    • 114 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    If a man was not subjected to law or punishment would he choose to do what is considered just? In Plato’s The Republic, Glaucon, one of Socrates’ students, states a common view on justice. Justice is simply a lesser evil when compared to the two extremes which are suffering injustice without power to retaliate and doing injustice without suffering consequences. According to Glaucon, all men are inherently unjust, and only do what is just when forced to do so by law. This view of justice can be seen throughout history when leaders, like Nero, do unjust actions for their own personal gain simply because they are free from any consequences.…

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The tyrant, who is also the most unjust man, is the least happy, but the aristocrat, the most just man, is the most happy, which shows that it pays to be just. In turn, Socrates comes up with his own definition of justice where, just like the ideal society, the just man has to balance the rational part of his soul, the spirited part of his soul, and the appetitive part of his soul. The problem, though, is that with this definition, the hoi polloi of America is…

    • 962 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Politically, Plato explains the paradox of justice and the law. Plato believes that absolute justice is the same for everyone without exception. This justice goes beyond power and or money. He feels justice is not necessarily the law. "Law is an imperfect form of justice." What is legal is not necessarily moral. In Book 1 of Plato 's The Republic, Plato explains that justice is a balance between reason, courage and man 's needs or in other words, the head, the heart and the stomach. He goes on to explain that justice or fairness does not always mean equal. The law may change but justice remains constant. A good rule or law however is a just rule. Plato felt that to get people to act justly one must teach them ethics and values. He also believed that along with these ethics and values we must have a reasonable understanding of these rules. An understanding of these rules is needed so people are more apt to comply with them and therefore maintain a just and fair society.…

    • 2775 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    What is the purpose of the city-soul analogy and does it help us understand the nature of justice?…

    • 1949 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Socrates meets with some of his friends and begins discussing the meaning of justice and whether the just life is better than the unjust life. First, they contemplate the meaning of justice. Cephalus stated that justice is as simple as telling the truth and returning what you receive, Polemarchus stated that justice is giving each his due, and Thrasymachus stated that justice is the advantage of the stronger. Socrates proves each of them wrong and embarks on a discussion to find out what true justice is, and to find out whether the just man is truly happier than the unjust man, or vice versa.…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Plato and Moral Authority

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages

    After reading Plato’s Apology and Leviticus 17-27, I found several differences in the way people are judged for the crimes they have committed as well as, by what are actually considered crimes or sins. I want to explore these differences by asking two questions to each reading: What kind of behavior constitutes as a sin or a crime? What is the source of moral authority behind laws and legal judgments?…

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    are right and wrong no matter the content of the act. It should be completely wrong to not treat everyone with respect based on who they are. Race, religion, sex and even medical diagnosis shouldn’t matter. Plato was an absolutist and he thought that as well as things being right and wrong, he thought that goodness itself really exists even after life itself. The highest form, the form of goodness had brought up the question of ‘What is goodness itself?”. Plato thought that goodness itself was the highest form of reality, which is an objective or absolute thing that existed eternally, beyond our limited world. He valued goodness very highly, comparing it to having the same importance that the sun has. We can look at this as having values and realizing that everything is important and good as well as all people. All people have a meaning to our society. We are all different because if we was all the same, we would be complaining of how bored we was. Plato thought that every moral situation was either right or wrong, and that our minds which were “distorted between pleasure and pain” could not perceive circumstances correctly, because we could not…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In comparison King and Plato both agree on that if one commits or is acting immoral, that they should not escape from punishment. They should face the consequences that are assessed for their wrong doing. The social contract theory sums up the agreement between King and Plato. The social contract theory states that obeying laws within a community for a moral reason, is the right thing to do. Morality as a whole is…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Why Is Socrates Unjust

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages

    1. What is the difference between a. and a. Both Socrates and Glaucon ultimately agree that it is better to be actually just and seemingly unjust than it is to be actually unjust but seemingly just. Their reasons for holding this position are because people just have control over themselves. They are able to maintain dominion over their desires, to avoid self indulgence in evil desires, and to choose good things. This is something the unjust person loses no matter how just he may seem.…

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    the shooting at sandy hook elementary school) they are discussed and it upsets or makes them angry. Even though most people are not directly affected by the tragedy it weighs down on them and they become eager to know who did the crime and want justice for the victims. In Plato’s time, some men were trying to dispute this and say that justice was created by the weak to protect the weak. If this were true humanity would not care about injustices from other countries or cities. In The Republic, Plato also covers his idea of what an ideal society is. He believes that society is split into three classes that include producers (create goods to sustain the people), auxiliaries (warriors to protect society) and guardians (rule society). Plato claims that each of these three groups needs to operate in a way where they do not interfere with one another. A member of each class must only perform functions pertaining to that class. However, this is not what makes an ideal society. If this were true then the all members of society would have no choice but to bend their will to the rulers. Eventually there would be cruel leaders who would disregard the needs of the people for selfish…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Socrates Unjust Analysis

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Socrates an ancient Greek philosopher who arguably set a philosophical president for all modern western theories, though he lived in ___________. Today in the 21st century his trial is still studied and debated. Some belief the trial justified and the Athenians were correct in his prosecution. However, large populations argue that the trial was unjust and Athenians used Socrates as a scapegoat for the troubles that the Athena democracy was facing during that time. Three men brought the charges laid against Socrates. Metetus, a wildly religious man, Anytus, a wealthy business owner and Lycon who was largely unknown and likely only there to fill the Athenian political requirements, there brought fourth two charges, impiety and the corruption of the youth. A…

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Plato and Thrasymachus

    • 1065 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Throughout history “just” people have received rewards and praise for being so. Plato believed that any man would be judged for his actions because he believed in an afterlife. He encouraged the myth of Er and believed that people were judged in their afterlife and would pay for the acts they did whether good or evil. Plato saw the soul as being immortal and able to withstand any good or evil that could prevail. Because of this he practiced and encouraged others to “practice justice with reason in every way.” (Clark, 2003, 14)…

    • 1065 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In terms of justice, Plato uses political communities and the individual of one's self and family as to what he thinks justice is. In the Republic Plato states that “ no two people are born exactly alike”. Plato was right about this quote, but he uses this quote in general to get to the bottom of what it means to be just or unjust in life for the individual and even the state. Socrates through his conversation with Adeimantus gives information about what Plato thinks justice is, he uses political communities and the individual of man and the family for evidence of what justice really is. Guardians, Auxiliaries, and Artisans is Plato's ideal society for a just society.…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays