Read:
Excerpt from Book II of Plato’s Republic (up to the following line: “I was going to say something in answer to Glaucon, when Adeimantus, his brother, interposed”
Think:
What view of the nature and origin of moral values (like justice) does Glaucon claim that most people accept?
How is this different from the view of justice that is articulated in the first several paragraphs?
What does the discussion of the Ring of Gyges have to do with this topic?
Write:
Blog post “Defending the Value of Injustice”
Make use of the considerations Glaucon puts forth in the text, and any others you think might make the case even stronger, to defend the claim that the life of the perfectly unjust person is the best and the happiest life. (Be sure to take advantage of the fact that the perfectly unjust person is so crafty that everyone believes him or her to be perfectly just.)
Living a just life can be difficult and Glaucon points it out. It is human nature to be unjust and we don’t all have justice inside of us. Since we all suffer from others injustices we can make a social contract agreeing to be just with each other. He makes a great point with the ring of gyges. If one was to be invisible without any punishment, they would act unjust. I think we would all be unjust and indulge in material things. This proves how man is unjust because we only act just because we are afraid of punishment. If there was no punishment then there would be no justice.
Every individual or group trying to succeed, faces the choice to be just, or unjust. Many of the people in the world can agree to the fact that though they attempt to do what they consider just, they are doing an injustice to other parties. In order to live life to the fullest, as Socrates says, one must live through being the receiver and the giver of both just and unjust situations. It is without question, however, that one cannot truly feel as if they are living a perfectly just life. It is for this reason that the perfectly unjust life is taken up, for the life of the perfectly unjust person is the best and the happiest life. Even though one feels as if their action is just, for every party involved, their personal gain from doing such actions make them unjust. Doing something for your own benefit is not just because you are assisting those in need, but rather selfish because you are doing it for your own pleasure. Per example, many football athletes have taken some sort of illegal enhancement, such as steroids, to improve their performance to help benefit the team. However, though they are helping the team, they are not being fair to other athletes who do not use such drugs. It is just to help your team and help improve yourself, but it would not be just in this case to create an unequal playing field since parties whom are more talented would not be able to participate because they are not big enough or strong enough. With relation to everyday life, the use of ADHD medicine to stay focused and to improve one’s own personal performance causes people to think that they are doing the just thing by bettering their grades, but they are not being just to those whom are getting good grades based off of effort. By accepting a perfectly unjust life, one would no longer have to make any attempts at trying to be just; rather, justice would find its own natural way into anything. Unjust individuals lack care for justice then, which causes them to be so shifty and creative with their actions that they are always believed, for one would simply try to do as they saw most beneficial, even though it may or may not be. In that case, the unjust life is full of self-fulfillment, causing what the common person coins as happiness though they will blind themselves to justice, as they see life as an innocently plea to act upon what they view as most beneficial. To the unjust person, justice will be served no matter what the action, and the ideal values of justice will always over rule the power to attempt to be just. By identifying oneself as a perfectly unjust person, they can reach self-fulfillment based on their own values.
Pat McGee
Phil003
I think the whole premise of injustice starts with societal laws. If no laws existed, who would be the authority on what was just and unjust? In a world filled with restrictions and laws we’re all expected to follow, it’s outright impossible to live a completely just life. If i had the Ring of Gyges, you can bet your ass I’d be robbing banks, jewelry stores, and other heavily insured places filled with riches. In itself, stealing is unjust, but if i can get away with it perfectly, and those stolen from are getting everything back new anyways, who am I really harming? But that’s just my spotty justification for my own wrongdoings. Now I’m not about to go around to every house and rape women and steal important heirlooms from individuals, because there’s a line in most of our hearts we will not, and do not cross. Just as it’s nearly impossible to be totally just, it’s almost impossible to be completely unjust. In saying this I mean that there is always some sort of justification for unjust acts. If a drug dealer shoots his competition in a gun fight, he might have a better opportunity to feed, cloth, and house his family. Although this isn’t a path I would choose for myself, it’s understandable why these kinds of things happen in an unjust world.
I think it’s important to take into effect that the happiness mentioned in this piece is all brought about by physical goods; sex, stolen items, and acceptance from society. To the just who finds happiness in all those things as the majority of society does there is nothing that could bring him the type of happiness that the unjust who has them all experiences. This seems to be an accurate description of the majority of society today as everyone acts a certain way in order to be accepted by a particular group of people. I know I for one am guilty of this as I don’t always act the same around my friends as I would my parents or even different around particular friends. And while this may not be stealing or cheating, in a way it is lying to get something you want. I’m lying about who I really am or at least not saying all of who I am in order to achieve social status or friends. I find this sad that everyone can’t be who we are but it’s true that if we always said everything we thought and felt no one would feel comfortable around us.
As stated by Glaucon, the life of the unjust is the most satisfying life one can live. In being completely unjust, one does deeds of injustice but is generally seen to be fully just. In being completely just, one does deeds of full justice but is seen to be unjust, for if he wanted to be seen as just, then his motives for doing so might seem unjust. Glaucon perfectly represents his thinking this by telling the story of the Ring of Gyges. The shepherd that uses the ring to do unjust things and not get caught shows how being unjust can lead to an extremely satisfying life. In the life of the unjust, one will live in wealth and happiness without making any sacrifices. A man would seem stupid to not live unjustly in this way. If being unjust can make you happy, why not be unjust? Why not be unjust especially if, on the other end of the spectrum, being just will only bring you pain and misery. To be perfectly unjust, is the best of both worlds for you get to cheat and steal to get what you want, but everyone will love you for your bad deeds will be unknown. Thus, being unjust is not only advisable, it is the logical thing to do.
The life of the unjust is most definitely the best and happiest way to live. The unjust person is not bound by any law, code, or creed, they simply act on whatever impulses that they posses. In our world, the easy thing to do and the right thing to do are never the same thing, so if someone is not held back by morals they can always do what is easiest. For example, it is easier to steal than to actually pay, and it is even to ones benefit to steal because they don’t have to waste money. Also according to Darwinism, the main purpose of life is to survive and doing what is just is usually in opposition to ones chance of survival. For example if i completely unjust and totally selfish then my self is benefitting the most. The path of the unjust is the easiest and most beneficial way to live the only problem is you may be taken to trial for your unjust ways but if your sneaky then life is gona be great!
The life of the perfectly unjust person really is the best and happiest life. I think it is important to look at an unjust person’s actions compared to a completely just person. The unjust man will preform actions that are advantageous to himself. If society had no rules, the unjust person would not be restricted from taking whatever he or she wanted. The quote that best illustrates this idea from the passage is as following, “No man would keep his hands off what was not his own when he could safely take what he liked out of the market, or go into houses and lie with any one at his pleasure, or kill or release from prison whom he would, and in all respects be like a God among men.” I feel that many people are greedy and that greediness is a common characteristic of most people. I would argue that people want to pursue ambitions and material items for their own gain. The common saying, “nice guys finish last,” is often times true. A just man does not have what it takes to take advantage of every opportunity, because of the restrictions placed on him by society. Just people are bound to the rules of their community. They are not truly free to do what they want and that is why the an unjust person leads a happier life.
After reading this passage, it really made me thinking about whether it is better to live a just or unjust life. However, I feel like it is very difficult to live a completely just or unjust life. I mean, there are some exceptions but the majority of people have a healthy mixture of the two. For me personally, I believe that a person should act mostly just because it is the right thing to do, but to have some unjust in your actions isn’t necessarily bad. If you have some, that is how you can possibly excel in somethings. For example, cheating in school is a form of unjustness that can be good. Now I’m not talking about cheating completely on a test but if someone’s having trouble on homework or a problem, I don’t see it as being completely wrong to get some “help” from someone else. Personally, when I did it, I learned from my mistake in that problem and it made me more knowledgeable. To wrap it up, when we were all kids, we all faced the question of, “if you could pick any superpower what would it be and what would you use it for?” For some of us, we said invisibility so that we could take anything we wanted from stores and not get caught. Even when we were kids, we were thinking unjustly. However, some kids said that they would want to be able to heal anyone of anything. That is an example of a truly just answer. So it is good to have some injustice and justness in our actions, as long as justness dominates it.
Glaucon makes a valid point that an unjust life would leave a person the most satisfied with themselves because it is the most natural. A just life he argues is a life that is lived bound to a social contract. This is needed because a society where each person pursued their own needs without fear of punishment would lead to chaos due to no one cooperating and working together to coexist. However, in a society where there is punishment for those who walk out of line a life of unjust, where you don’t get caught, seems to be the most rewarding because you would be living by your own rules and standards and would probably reach some level of success faster than others because you’re not slowed down by morals others may hold. Also, being unjust if it is your natural state is being true to yourself and therefore living that life would be more rewarding to you than living a just life because you fear consequences of the unjust life in society and the afterlife.
Jon Axelsson
All men that are just do it against their will. That is a statement I took from this passage, and it is the one that stuck with me as I think about what is better: to be just or unjust. And honestly, we all have a little bit of unjust in us. I, for one, can vouch for that. But, I certainly do not agree with that statement. There is people out there who do things because it is the right thing to do, not just because society will judge you if you dont, but because deep down they really care. To make a generalization like that is not possible. Being just makes you feel good. Maybe this just hops right back into our topic of human nature and what it is. If given this ring that makes you invisible, will you use it for good or evil? How many cliche movies have we seen with that storyline? At the end of the day, society loves the just people. But, that person may not like it. Then again, why do it? Why be just if you dont want to? At the end of the day, we all want approval from society. Society has certain morals and values that should not be broken. This would be one of them. Unjust people, at the end of the day, will regret their decisions. Being unjust gets you nowhere.
Quentin D
Phil 003
There is not one person who can say they are perfectly just all the time. Everyone is a little unjust, it’s just human nature. Everybody accepts this in the world as well. We all know the world isn’t perfect and there are “bad” people out there. If the world was perfectly just, we would have no problems. Since this false reality is not true, we are forced to deal with injustices every day. Glaucon makes a great point about this as well in his story about the Ring of Gyges. The ring is used to make the user invisible. He says it is practically impossible to be completely just because you can do whatever you want without judgement. This is completely true I believe, because if I was in the same position, I would maybe do something unjust for the greater good even though it may not be the right thing to do. He says if two people had this ring, one just and one unjust, then the two would meet in the middle. This means the two would even out between just and unjust because they counter each other perfectly. He says that the man with the ring who is perfectly just would be looked at as a fool behind his back for not taking advantage of it, but people would think very highly of him at the same time. This story just goes to show how you can not have a perfectly just world, and that there will always be injustices.
Shawn Linder
It’s only natural for everyone to have a little injustice. In my opinion, in order to be at the top of the food chain one has to have more injustice. For example, baseball players on steroids, or kids who cheat in school, get an advantage because they play unfair. The values of injustice unfortunately are a bad thing for everyone accept the unjust one, unless the unjust one gets caught. In playing unfair one gets the benefits of the situations in which they succeed. For example, if a baseball player takes steroids and performs better they get more money then other players even thought they are cheating. Unfortunately most of these cheaters in life will never get caught so they seem innocent and great for being so amazing. So I guess one can say, the life of injustice is the good life.