In Plato’s Republic he defines justice as “doing one’s own work and not meddling with what is not one’s own” (Plato 139‚ 433b). This definition begs the question what is one’s own work? Plato states that one’s own work is the work that one’s nature is best suited for‚ as each person is born with a different nature (Plato 101‚ 370b). To come to this definition Plato compares justice within the human soul to justice within a city. If Plato can find justice within the city and prove that the individual
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In ‘Citro” by the greek philosopher Plato‚ one of the wise lessons Socrates‚ the classical philosopher‚ taught us was to not let the opinion of the people worry us. This lesson taught by a man who died in 399 BC is still thriving today in modern society. In this literary review I will prove that worrying about the opinion of the people can be harmful and even deadly. In proving this‚ we will see the importance of this lesson Socrates has taught us. In this dialogue‚ Socrates has been sentenced to
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What is justice? This may seem like a simple question to answer but for many in today’s society it is not. Individuals throughout society have their own explanation of justice. It is a word in which every person has a different meaning. Although "Justice" has a vast list of meanings‚ it can somewhat be defined. Loosely‚ it can be defined as “The quality of being just; fairness”. Although what justice means to me is being punished for a crime that has been committed. The offender has to pay for his/her
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In Plato’s Republic‚ the protagonist Socrates provides three proofs that a just life is more satisfying than an unjust life. Of the three proofs‚ The third is the focus of our attention today. It states that “ when the entire soul follows the philosophophic part‚ there is no civil war in it‚ each part of it does its own work exclusively and is just‚ and in a particular it enjoys its own pleasures‚ the best and truest pleasures possible for it...but when one of the other parts gains control‚ it won’t
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Justice is a concept that has changed and developed throughout history. The foundation of the modern justice system in the western world began in Athens just over two thousand years ago. Many philosophers had their own conceptions about what justice truly is‚ however‚ Plato proved to be the most influential. Before Plato‚ many men shared Polemarchus’ belief that justice meant giving good to friends and evil to enemies. In his book‚ The Republic‚ Plato sets out to define the true definition of justice
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Republic by Plato‚ a meta-ethical question is raised “What is justice?” The meaning of justice may mean almost anything in today’s society. During Plato’s time‚ however‚ justice is intimately connected with fairness. It is the idea that people should get what they deserve. Benevolence and mercy may lead us to give people more than they deserve but justice insists on them getting all and only what they deserve: nothing more‚ nothing less. In his infamous passage where Thrasymachus argues that Justice is whatever
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of a punitive nature‚ and there may be an opportunity to save this offender from the experience of the correctional system. The concept of restorative justice is not clearly defined; often referred to as a ‘movement‚’ and presented as an option to the mainstream of criminal justice. Rather than harsh punishment to the offender‚ restorative justice will attempt to establish a connection between the victim and the offenders (Sharpe‚ 1998). RJ attempts to repair the harm the offender caused the victim(s)
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Plato’s “Republic” is a seminal text‚ that explores; the definition of justice‚ the character and order of a just city and the minutiae of human experience. Specifically in Book IV‚ Republic examines the four main virtues of life; Justice‚ wisdom‚ courage and moderation. Through this chapter one can postulate that for the harmony of the city and the individual the tenure of moderation and spirit must always be balanced. However book IV‚ is not simply suggesting‚ that moderation means a man is necessarily
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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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Plato‚ or Aristocles as is his real name‚ was one of the most influential thinkers of history. Plato set up a school called the Academy in Athens in 387 BC. He wrote down his ideas in the form of dialogues‚ or discussions between people. The dialogues explain Plato’s metaphysics or ideas on subjects such as politics‚ law‚ science‚ education‚ art‚ and the nature of knowledge. One of the best known dialogues is The Republic‚ in which Plato describes his idea of an ideal‚ or perfect‚ government. All
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