We find the first discussion about Justice in Book One. Socrates, Glaucon, and Polemarchos are at Cephalos' (Polemarchos' Father) house; along with Thrasymachos and various others. On close examination of the discussion, we find Socrates being very purposeful in the way he starts the conversation on Justice. Cross and Woozley point out that the question is introduced in such a way as to first invite the most basic or conventional answers, having flaws which can be easily revealed.

The subject comes to life as Socrates is asking Cephalos - who was a very wealthy man - about his life and how he found success. He asks Cephalos what

This definition may seem very primitive, and Socrates is certainly not satisfied with it, but it is an idea which we can see working in our society today. The justice system in this country uses this basic principle as its foundation. The government punishes criminals (enemies of the public) and gives benefits to law abiding citizens (friends of the public.)

The third proposition brought up in Thrasymachos' argument was that the unjust man has a better life than the just man. Thrasymachos gave examples of just taxpayers who pay more than the unjust from an equal estate, and just politicians who lose the favor of their friends by not allowing them through loopholes in the law as the unjust politician would do. In both cases, the unjust person profits more.

Polemarchos' argument is considered to be only slightly superior to the one offered by Cephalos. But Socrates had only slightly more difficulty refuting it. Socrates' method of questioning is essentially a large redutio ad absurdum argument meant not necessarily to show the conclusions to be logically absurd, but to show them to be conclusions which no one in their right mind would support.

Socrates makes the point, and Thrasymachos finds himself forced to agree, that injustice itself cannot be a source of strength as it is not a uniting force, but a divisive one. This point is then applied to the individual. An unjust person is constantly at war with themselves since they are subject to a dividing force. The just person, on the other hand, has a soul which is in harmony with itself and is thus happy. It is this which leads to the conclusion that justice is the virtue or excellence of the soul and injustice the vice.

St. Martin's Press, New York; 1964.

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Approximate Word count = 2435
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)