Plato And Glaucon Analysis

There are a multitude of opinions on human morality including where it derives and the necessity behind why one should be just. In the excerpt from Readings in Moral Philosophy by Jonathan Wolff, the dialogue between the Greek philosopher Plato and a man named Glaucon is described. In this excerpt, Glaucon provides a vast amount of supporting ideas on how man will choose to be unjust because morality is tiresome. These arguments include stating justice and morality are only used as a middle point, an example of a traditional story about a ring of Gyges, and lastly an argument of how a man who appears as just but is truly unjust reaps all the benefits. Thus from the analysis of this excerpt, morality is unnatural for human beings but brings about desirable social goods. Initially in the discourse between Plato and Glaucon, Glaucon argues that only those who are too weak to inflict injustice or defend themselves from injustice being done upon them, are the ones to devise a contract against it. Glaucon states “The purpose of the compact is to bind them all to neither suffer injustice nor commit it” (Glaucon 110), demonstrating how this pact of justice merely provides solitude for

As a result, Glaucon states “he who wills to be unjust but not seems so is the real man of truth” (Plato 113), exemplifying that this man lives his life in a way most similar to reality. This statement supports the opinion that reality is the way in which man is naturally immoral, however he can not appear to be immoral as this would affect his reputation and acquisition of other benefits. As a result, a man must appear moral even if it is untrue to their actual character, to reap benefits such as high office social praise. As a result appearing moral is necessary and desirable as part of a social aspect, however all the while is unnatural with immorality being