The Republic of Plato

THE REPUBLIC OF PLATO                                                                          

In the book II, Socrates not only discusses justice in individuals but also justice in society. Glaucon talks about his ideas of justice by stating that justice is a compromise between the best and the worst. People follow rules because they are afraid of aftermath not because they truly believe in justice itself.  Moreover, in a lot of poems and stories, people who are unjust and make actions to get whatever they want tend to live much better lives than those ones holding justice as a virtue. They could become powerful, earn a lot of money, have higher social status through some unjust means, and still they are going to appear as just man to people around. As God is omniscient, unjust man will eventually be found of guilty and misfortunes might fall on next generation. Nevertheless, even when the aftermath is taken into consideration, those two just and unjust man may still live the same happy life in heaven as long as the unjust man offers sacrifice to God piously. Adeimantus, brother of Glaucon, further backs up his brother’s previous argument by mentioning a more detailed perspective relating to the religion and the nature of justice. On the one hand, supposing the Gods do not exist at all, it will be unnecessary to cover those unjust actions. On the other hand, the Gods are real and care what people do, unjust man could always win the Gods over through offerings. If that is the case, there is no reason prevent people from acting unjustly in real life as there will be only benefits without punishments. Anyone who is given the power of being unjust will not hesitate to practice it. If he is not practicing the power to be unjust, it is because he is not supreme enough to practice it. Instead, this man could only condemn these unjust things verbally. ( In my opinion, I think this man is jealous of those supreme man who are able to do unjust things)