Thursday, September 4, 2014

Which Justice is the "right" Justice?

In the reading, there were two arguments presented on what justice is. The first argument by Glaucon is that people will do whatever is in their best interest which will usually come at the expense of someone else. Socrates argument is that people will do whatever is right regardless of if they benefit from it or not. For me it's hard to say that only one argument is correct since I see both sides. Speaking from personal experience (and I'm sure I'm not the only person that feels this way) a part of me always wants to do what is right or what is best for other people. To sacrifice what I really want for the happiness of everyone else, however part of me is still very selfish and doesn't care about if other people suffer because of an action or choice of mine. Where does one draw the line between what is just if what is "just" for the individual may not be "just" for the community? If I act in a way that is beneficial to me but not to someone else is what I'm doing just? It is what's right for me so if I don't do the action or what have you I would be acting in a way that is unjust to myself and is that better or worse than me doing something that is unjust to someone else? If we lived in an experimental "state of nature" I believe that Socrates' argument would fall flat because people would look out for their own interest only. I sincerely doubt that people would be concerned with if what they're doing is right/just if there is no one to tell them what they're doing is wrong/unjust, they would be more concerned with taking care of themselves at pretty much all costs.

3 comments:

  1. Blaire, I could see why you would support but arguments. its really hard but i personally agreed with the argument by Glaucon. Maybe I am looking at this as if it was today within our society but I value free will and that's what Glaucon was sort of arguing about. Free will allow us to act in our own ways and at the end of the day whether our actions as individual hurt the other or not is what free will is. Socrates argument really seems dubious because people will do what is right if it doesn't benefits them. Good Post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can definitely understand the point you are trying to make here Blaire, however, the point Socrates is trying to make is that making the just decision will be beneficial not just to either you or to someone else, but rather it will be the morally just decision. According to him, there is a always a wrong decision and a just decision. Whether or not it benefits you isn't the point. The just decision will be for the "greater good" and any sacrifice you make will help this "greater good". Just as a POW doesn't give up valuable information during a war for his "greater good" and dies in doing so, we all have to make our own sacrifices sometimes. Nothing will ever be perfect. The just decision isn't always the easiest one.

    ReplyDelete