The Republic By Plato Essay - 1075 Words

The Republic by Plato The Republic written by Plato examines many things. It mainly is about the Good life. Plato seems to believe that the perfect life is led only under perfect conditions which is the perfect society. Within the perfect society there would have to be justice. In the Republic it seems that justice is defined many different ways. In this paper I am going to discuss a few. First I am going to discuss the reason why Glaucon and Adeimantus see justice as being a bad thing and it is better to live a unjust life. Platos elder brother Glaucon argues that the just man is only just because of the fear that he will get caught and punished or the fear of having a bad reputations. He explains this decision in the†¦show more content†¦So it is not justice itself that is recommended, but rather, the respectability that it brings with it. He believes that the son will realize to be just is only worth it if you can get a good reputation. Unless you are truly just the gods will punish you but as we have learned from the poets the gods can be bribed so if you live the unjust life you can bribe the gods to not punish you. If an unjust person fakes a good reputation then he can have a wonderful life. He says live a wonderful life because the unjust man is said to live a better life because he could cheat and live well but a just man has to live with what he has or earn his wealth honestly. Glaucon points of justice as I see them are fake and unclear. He says that if a just person were to have a ma gic ring then he would act as a true unjust person because there is no fear of punishment. If he was a truly a just person then he would not be unjust even if there was no fear of punishment. I define a true just man on his spirit and intentions if he is only being just because of fear of punishment then he is not just nor if he is only being just if he desire a good reputation. A man to be truly just must desire and get his pleasure on living with what he as earned fairly and helping others around him. Glaucon keeps arguing that the unjust man lives a better life because he has the power and the wealth to boss the just man around and bribe the gods soShow MoreRelatedThe Republic By Plato1341 Words   |  6 PagesIn book X of The Republic, Plato uses Socrates as his voice to discuss the topic of poetry in his ideal society. While he sees music and gymnastics as vital parts of society, he sees poetry as something that’s not only unnecessary, but also harmful. Glaucon is surprised by this and questions the reasons Socrates has this way of thinking. Socrates states that â€Å"all such poetry is likely to distort the thought of anyone who hears it, unless he has the knowledge of what it is really like†. 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