Theories of Justice

Paper Summary:

This paper contends that philosophers and thinkers have proposed many theories of justice and while some of them appear to be based on sound premise, there are others that completely denounced logic. The paper examines Plato's viewpoints on justice as well as Socrates' philosophy of the same. The paper explores one prevalent view of justice in Plato's days that was introduced by Cephalus. Thrasymachus' theory of justice is also described.

From the Paper:

"Philosophers and thinkers have proposed many theories of justice and while some of them appear to be based on sound premise, there are others that completely denounced logic. In his book, The Republic, Plato has introduced us to various viewpoints on justice concluding with Socrates' philosophy of the same. The one prevalent view of justice in Plato's days was introduced by Cephalus. He believed that justice meant always telling the truth and repaying what is given. Repaying what is given is a highly ambiguous view and one that needs to be analyzed closely. If one always repaid what he/she was given would that mean he is being just. For example, if a friend does me a favor and I repay it, then that is certainly a just act. Similarly if a friend hurts me or stabs me in the back, repaying the same would also constitute justice. So far it sounds logical but justice is a virtue. It should therefore be positive in nature. Hurting someone back doesn't really make sense because it violates the principles of friendship. Wouldn't it be better if I chose to forgive my friend and thus won him back? Thus while the philosophy is based on logic, it betrays the very essence of justice."

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