What Is Justice Term paper
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What is Justice?
Justice, for the great Greek philosophers of ancient times and even for the great philosophers of today, is a controversial issue and has been up for immense discussion and review. The nature of justice and injustice has been stated and reviewed many times, however, the origin of the reviewing comes from the Greek Thrasymachus, who’s thesis is later reviewed and modified by Glaucon. Glaucon’s position is revised yet again by Thomas Hobbes, who’s version is now the accepted form of explanation for the origin of justice and injustice. Although there are various examples for the origin and nature of justice and injustice provided by these three men, I will provide supporting examples for the conclusion that the thesis and arguments made by Hobbes are the ones most acceptable and relevant in today’s society.
First, Thrasymachus offers his origin of justice; he says that justice is doing what is advantageous to the stronger. The strong or rulers, he claims are the ones who make the laws in their favor or advantageous to them. Consequently, they force all the commoners to abide by the rules that they set, so the people who are just, simply, who abide by the rules, are doing what is advantageous to the stronger. This is the first argument stated by Thrasymachus, whereas in the second argument, he brings up the position of the shepherd and asks if the shepherds are taking care of the sheep for their own good or for the good of the sheep? He points out that the rulers act in exactly the same manner, where justice is doing something good for others at a loss to oneself, and injustice is doing something beneficial for oneself at a loss of others. Thrasymachus says that, having to look at who gets the better on a grander scale, the unjust person always gets more. He who does anything for their own good is unjust, looking out for themselves in their ordinary life they are innocent, however, it would difficult if everyone were unjust of course. He concludes that justice is high-minded innocence as injustice is good counsel, stating the way of the unjust is better. (338d-44c)
Glaucon follows with his thesis stating that justice is good solely as means but not in itself. Glaucon wants Socrates to prove to him how it can be good both as means and in itself. Glaucon says that no one is willingly just, but rather compelled to act justly caused by nature, while they try to better themselves, ultimately saying that the life of the unjust is also better. Glaucon’s argument contains three parts; justice being good in itself, purely as means, the third dealing with its goodness for both reasons. Glaucon says that justice is a mean between doing what is best; which is doing injustice without paying the penalty and suffering injustice without being able to avenge oneself. Therefore, justice is not cared for because it is good, however, it is honored due to a want of vigor in doing injustice. He makes a second point on why people are unwillingly just, saying that the only reason the just are just is because they follow the rules and are afraid of being caught. However, if such a person were invisible and free to do whatever he or she wished, then they too would be unjust. Why would a person incapable of being caught by authorities be just? This is the question that Glaucon presents stating that anyone, no matter just or unjust would thrive at the opportunity to be invisible or invulnerable, then they would act in the same manner as the unjust. His last view of his argument represents the just man in a totally unjust environment, while placing the unjust man in a totally just situation, and still taking away neither the just man’s justice nor the unjust man’s injustice. He says the perfectly unjust man must be given his opportunity to do the greatest injustices, while having provided himself the greatest reputation for justice. The perfectly just man must have the things taken away from him to make him seem just, such as his honors, gifts and so forth. On the other hand, let the just man be given the reputation for total injustice, in order for his justice to be tested to see if it is softened by bad reputation and its consequences. Finally, with both men being unchanged until death so when the two men reach the ultimate extreme of both justice and injustice, then we would be able to decide which of the two men were happier. (358e-62c)
Glaucon adds to Thrasymachus in that he states that no one is willingly just and they are only compelled to be as such by the situation or condition they are in by nature. Glaucon says that people seek to get the better for themselves and it is good, therefore the lives of the unjust are consequentially better, as they receive more. Glaucon agrees with Thrasymachus in that the way of life of the unjust is better, however, Thrasymachus does not mention the idea of “pleonexia” as seeking to get the better of someone. Glaucon does not even mention the idea, directly, as stated by Thrasymachus as justice being advantageous to the stronger or that justice is high-minded innocence and injustice is good counsel; Glaucon does not touch upon that either.
To add, subtract and refute is Thomas Hobbes on the earlier positions of Glaucon and Thrasymachus, respectively. Hobbes states that the justice of persons has to do with the want to do the actions that are just. He goes on to say that one is not really just if they are afraid to do the just actions they would normally do have there no awful consequences to them. One must have a certain nobility of courage to be able to perform their characteristically just actions in any situation, not the ones that are beneficial to them. He adds that these people believe it is beneath them to break their covenant, and that merely justice of actions does not tell one anything about a person. Hobbes states that everyone is equal in mind and...
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