Essay on Platonic Justice - 916 Words

Platonic Justice Throughout Platos Republic, the subject of platonic justice and its goodness to its self arise and are discussed amongst Plato and his peers. At the beginning of The Republic, Plato asks the fundamental question of what is justice? Looking to define the ideal state of justice, Plato reasons that he must first define justice in theory before he can use justice practically. Platonic Justice is defined as being a harmony between the tripartite soul in which reasons guide the spirit and appetite. Justice is said to be good in itself and good in its practical ends. It is educating desires, implementing the human faculty of reason. Justice is not the interest of the stronger, but more the interest of the weaker. An unjust†¦show more content†¦When rulers rule wrongly, they make rules contrary to their interests. The subjects are the ones who obeyed the rules instated by the rulers. Having shown that justice may not only be the interest of the stronger but also the injury, Plato further seeks the definition of justice. Socrates implements a usage of medicine. The art of medicine tends to the needs of the body, not to the interest of the medicine. If medicine attended to its own interest, it would serve no practical use. However, medicine considers the interest of the patients. The same can be said about doctors who consider the needs of their patients, not only his own needs. If the doctor only had interest in himself he would cease to be a doctor. Having argued back and forth Plato dismisses that justice is the interest of the stronger. Rulers who rule in their own interest breed unhappy subjects, ignoring the needs of the subjects for their own needs. In the past history has shown that discontent subjects rebel against their rulers. Thus, rulers should rule in the interest of the subjects. Upon realizing his situation, Thrasymacus changes his opinion, arguing that a ruler benefits in life by injustice. He also states that an unjust man benefits where a just man suffers. Thus, justice is a virtue, injustice a vice. A truly unjust person leads a life of individualism and anarchy, seeking to gain over both the just and unjust. This could not possiblyShow MoreRelatedJustice Is One Of Four Cardinal Platonic Virtues Essay1298 Words   |  6 PagesJustice is one of four cardinal Platonic virtues. These virtues are said to be good by nature, and so they must be ideals that all individuals strive to demonstrate in their lives. In The Republic, Plato (through Socrates) attempts to find the definition of Justice through dialogue with his colleagues. One of his colleagues Thrasymachus proclaims that: â€Å"Justice is in the interest of the stronger.† (338c) In other words, rulers make laws from which only they reap the benefits of. 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Answer: The dialogue explores two central questions. The first question is â€Å"what is justice?† Socrates addresses this question both in terms of political communities and in terms of the individual person or soul. He do es this to address the second and driving question of the dialogue: â€Å"is the just person happier than the unjust person?† or â€Å"what is the relation of justice to happiness?† Given the two central questions of the discussion, Plato’s philosophical concerns in the