What Is Thrasymachus View Of Justice

Within Plato’s Republic the ideal of Justice is greatly Debated, Socrates main conversationalist being Thrasymachus. In simplest terms Thrasymachus view on “justice” is that it is a “tool” for the most powerful. The powerful use “justice” in a way that allows them to keep power or gain power. Within Thrasymachus’ first argument he uses “justice” in the same regard as “laws”. Thrasymachus argues that a ruling group in all circumstances create laws that work with how they are operating as “a democracy sets down democratic laws; a tyranny, tyrannic laws” (Plato 338e). Plato’s rebuttal contains the idea that a professional in the field of medicine: doctors do well in their field to help their patients, as medicine is a craft so is being a ruler.

The one dimension of this “justice” would be pertaining to the laws made by the ruler. A key factor in thrasymachus view on justice is the rulers of the days of thrasymachus lived very fortuned and frivolous lives, it is easy to see how an outlook of the rulers taking advantage would cause a belief similar to Thrasymachus’. In a sense the ruled of their times were used like sheep, the rulers would keep them healthy and happy, and in return would be rewarded with tax money, and

The downfall of his argument was the misperception of what “justice” is. He applied a “justice” that can be changed from situation to situation to his theory, which can easily cause contradiction. Justice is not something that can be warped by a ruling group. Thrasymachus’ argument would of been valid if he had stated: “Laws are the advantage of the strongest”. It is understandable how thrasymachus came to this conclusion in his era of time, as there was not a common understanding of human rights as we have now, most people in his ear believed “justice” was what was administered by the governing party. Much like plato, the world now looks at “justice” in a multi dimensional way, not just according to laws, but according to rights and