How Does Socrates Define Justice In Book 1?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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He lays out a new definition of justice: justice

means that you owe friends help, and you owe enemies harm

. … Socrates points out that there is some incoherence in the idea of harming people through justice. All this serves as an introduction to Thrasymachus, the Sophist.

How does Socrates define justice?

Accordingly, Socrates defines justice as

“working at that to which he is naturally best suited”

, and “to do one’s own business and not to be a busybody” (433a–433b) and goes on to say that justice sustains and perfects the other three cardinal virtues: Temperance, Wisdom, and Courage, and that justice is the cause and …

Does Socrates define justice in Book 2?

Socrates says

justice belongs in the second category

—the best one, it seems. … Glaucon really wants to hear Socrates praise justice entirely for its own sake and not for the sake of its consequences. Even though he believes justice is better than injustice, he’s going to play the devil’s advocate and defend injustice.

Who defines justice as helping friends and harming enemies in Book 1?

After the discussion of justice as a craft, Polemarchus reiterates his faith in the definition attributed to

Simonides

: “justice is to benefit one’s friends and harm one’s enemies” (334b).

What does Socrates say about Polemarchus definition of justice?

Polemarchus’ Definition of Justice Polemarchus (Cephalus’ son) says

justice is doing good to your friends and doing harm to your enemies

; Socrates says our friends may not be virtuous and our enemies may be, so we should never do harm sure of their beliefs than they had at the start of the conversation.

Does Socrates agree with glaucon?

Socrates said that he believed justice falls into the second category; according to him justice is good intrinsically and instrumentally. … Glaucon argued that,

by nature, doing injustice is good

but the law can force you to act against that. According to Glaucon, justice is naturally bad and injustice is naturally good.

Does Socrates answer glaucon?

Philosophers have struggled with Glaucon’s challenge and Socrates’ response for a variety of reasons, but perhaps the most serious criticism is that

Socrates does not completely answer the challenges posed

by Glaucon and Adeimantus. … Here, Socrates gives his account of the tyrannical soul and of his moral psychology.

How does Socrates define harm?

Socrates

claims that harming someone makes him/her unjust or more unjust

. Thus, on Polemarchus’ conception of justice, it’s just to make people unjust. This is obviously absurd, forcing Polemarchus to reject the second premise or reject his conception of justice.

What is glaucon’s definition of justice?

Glaucon explains that justice is a social contract that emerges between people who are roughly equal in power so no one is able to oppress the others since the pain of suffering injustice outweighs the benefit of committing it.

How does Socrates refute cephalus definition of justice?

In Book One of Plato’s The Republic, Socrates challenges Cephalus’ belief that justice is simply being honest and paying back the dues that one owes to the gods and to his fellow men. By

providing examples of where it would be unjust to repay one’s debts

, Socrates refutes Cephalus’ definition of justice.

How does the allegory of the cave relate to Socrates?

In the allegory, Socrates describes

a group of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all their lives, facing a blank wall

. … Socrates explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall are actually not reality at all.

What is the main point of the ring of Gyges story?

Plato argues that the Ring of Gyges- invisibility and anonymity- is

the only barrier between a just and an unjust person

. He argues that we would all be unjust if we had a cloak of anonymity. Injustice is far more profitable. We are only just because it is necessary.

Who is Socrates philosophy?

Socrates was

an ancient Greek philosopher

, one of the three greatest figures of the ancient period

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.