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Justice In Allan Bloom's The Republic Of Plato

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In Book 1 of Allan Bloom’s “The Republic of Plato”, Cephalus, Polemarchus, and Thrasymachus present their ideas on what justice is. Plato’s Socrates responds to each of these characters’ proposed definitions of justice by pointing out the contradictions and logical inconsistencies within their arguments. The dialogue between Cephalus and Plato’s Socrates reveals how one’s age affects his perspective on the virtue of justice and his system of values. On the way back from a religious festival in Piraeus, Socrates makes a stop at Polemarchus’ home and begins speaking with Cephalus, Polemarchus’ father. Right off the bat, Socrates describes Cephalus as a “very old”, wealthy, and fragile-looking being; this is someone who is close to dying (328c). …show more content…

Even though one would be fulfilling his legal obligations, handing over the weapon to a madman would not be just because it may put more lives in danger (331c). After having his definition of justice defeated by Socrates, Cephalus leaves the discourse to tend to more sacrifices (331d). This is action is representative of man’s tendency to cling to their beliefs. With death upon him, Cephalus does not want Socrates to completely dismantle the spiritual foundation he had found for himself in his old age. Even though he was proved to be thinking illogically, Cephalus exits the argument to carry out the religious rituals which he believes will bring him rewards in the afterlife. Instead of continuing further down Socrates’ line of questioning like the younger Polemarchus and Thrasymachus, the elderly Cephalus is fine with his rationale not being one hundred percent correct because his religious beliefs provide him with enough psychological comfort. One’s awareness of his mortality increases with his age, creating a huge gap in the world perceptions and values between the elderly and the

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