PHI 2010 Glaucon's Challenge

Glaucon’s Challenge

Introduction

The general rule is that causing injustice is good, and suffering out of injustice is evil. Human beings are often naturally selfish. Most human beings, put in an environment free from legal and social constraints, tend to act the wrong way. Justice offers protection to the weak against the strong. However, Glaucon's claim that injustice is good is unsound. What if everyone becomes unjust and decides to pursue self-interest at the expense of others? Injustice cannot be useful anymore; the world will be chaotic.

Motivation

Justice is only required by the weak to protect them from the acts of injustice made by the strong. Reaching a conclusion regarding this topic based on philosophical evidence towards that perspective is not something easy to digest. While it is argued that the strong can defend themselves and do not need justice, what if the weak gang up against the strong? Will they need justice? Or would it be seen as if the weak are trying to defend themselves from the strong? Making a reasonable and logical determination requires objectivity on the issue. On the other hand, there are claims that justice is natural, and human beings own this virtue by nature. If so, then, why would we need laws?

The relevance of this is that finding a determination between the two will go a long way in helping us understand the function of our legal and justice systems and whether we need them. There will be no need for laws when people are naturally just. However, taking into consideration that when people act unjustly by nature in order to protect the weak, then there will be a great need for law enforcement. Additionally, the determination will help us understand and have an explanation as to why people commit crimes or do evil. It does not assume the possibility that even the strong need for justice.

Works Cited

Chung, Hun. “A Game-theoretic Solution to the Inconsistency between Thrasymachus and Glaucon in Plato’s Republic.” 2016, 385-292.

Jowett, Benjamin, The Republic of Plato. London; New York: Macmillan, 1888, 111-112.

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