The Republic by Plato presents us with the conception of a just state. Plato through the dialogues of the book would then describe how such a just state would be put together as an organized state, how will it be governed and by who. In this essay, we will concentrate on the different account of justice given by the different characters in the dialogue namely; Cephalus, Polemarchus, Socrates and Thrasymachus. Starting with Polemarchus, the son of Cephalus. The dialogue was ignited at Polemarchus house. Socrates and Polemarchus started the debate on the concept of justice that was given by Simonides-a Greek lyric poet-. Simonides defines justice as the payment the debt. Polemarchus argued that “If, Socrates, we are to be guided at all by the analogy of the preceding instances, then justice is the art which gives good to friends and evil to enemies”. Polemarchus defines justice in the terms of friends and enemies, for you would only treat your friends with good faith and not your enemies. Socrates then further on debate and challenge Polemarchus on his definition of justice asking him what defines a friend and what defines and enemy? For sometimes men cannot make sure who are their friends and who are their enemies because sometimes the ones you consider friends intend to hurt you and by that they’re your enemies and not your friends, Socrates explains. …show more content…
Surely, he said, a man may be expected to love those whom he thinks good, and to hate those whom he thinks