Plato Assignment 3/16

DUE FRI 3/16 Personal Reflection and Plato Assignment

Read The Republic Part I Section 2. “The Conventional View of Justice Developed” pp. 8-15
Answer question(s) from one or more of the sections that follow.

Short responses 2-5 sentences
A) In your opinion, is Polemarchus definition of justice, derived from the poet Simonedes, an improvement from his father’s definition?
Part of his definition is much improved from his fathers definition of "paying ones debts and telling the truth." That statement is very general, and has a lot of cons in it. The idea of helping ones friends is of course, good, but by only helping your friends doesnt make you just. I think hurting ones enemies is very unjust, unless good can come from it, which also goes into whether harming someone can be "right".

B) What is Simonides definition of justice? Has Polemarchus interpreted him correctly?Simonides definition of justice is to give everyone their dues and telling the truth. Polemarchus thinks of this as helping friends and hurting enemies, which I guess, is true.

C) What problem does Socrates see in the phrase, “helping one’s friends and harming ones enemies”? Why is this not an accurate definition of justice?
Socrates says that a man with justice wouldn't intentionally hurt anyone, regardless of if they are a friend or an enemy, because hurting anyone intentionally is very unjust.

D) What lesson do you think Socrates/Plato is trying to prove by having Polemarchus give in to Socrates when his father (Cephalus) would not?
I think he is trying to prove that wisdom comes with age, and the younger generation is more easily persuaded then the elderly.

E) Whose argument do you find more convincing, Polemarchus or Socrates? Why?
Socrates is more convincing. He has examples to back up his stance, which is obviously a strong argument tactic. He is also known to be a philosopher, which gives him an intelligence advantage, because Polemarchus is young, and much less wise then Socrates.
(As we can see Socrates influences many of the philosophers in the republic, with hardly any effort)