Justice in Plato's Republic: The Lessons of Book 1
FAIN: FT-269538-20
Roslyn E. Weiss
Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA 18015-3027)
Research and writing two chapters for
a book about a new interpretation of Plato’s definition of justice in The Republic.
Although Socrates offers a novel definition of justice in Book 4 of Plato's Republic, it is argued that the place to learn what justice really means for Socrates in The Republic is Book 1. It is here that, through a series of conversations, Socrates teaches that conventional rules of justice, though important, are to be set aside if they lead to harmful consequences; that justice harms no one, neither friend nor foe; that justice cares for others and, in particular, for the weaker; and that the function of just government is first and foremost to encourage virtue in its citizens.
Associated Products
"Early Lessons on Justice in Plato's Republic" (Book Section)Title: "Early Lessons on Justice in Plato's Republic"
Author: Roslyn E. Weiss
Editor: Yosef Z. Liebersohn, John Glucker, and Ivor Ludlam.
Abstract: An extraction of Socrates' lessons on justice to three successive interlocutors: the elderly and wealthy Cephalus, his son Polemarchus, and the sophist Thrasymachus.
Year: 2021
Primary URL:
http://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-7056-6/Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Book Title: Plato and His Legacy
ISBN: 13: 978-1-5275