PHILOS 2YY3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Glaucon, Thrasymachus, Egotism
16 May 2018
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PHILOS 2YY3 – Jan 16 2018
Why Should I be Moral?
Justie Agai…
• Glauo ishes to reie Thrasyahus arguet that the ujust perso is etter off
tha the just…
• Three goods:
o 1. Good in itself → intrinsic value (done for its own sake)
o 2. Good because of consequences → instrumental value (done for the sake of
something else)
o 3. Good in itself AND for consequences → intrinsic AND instrumental value (both
pleasurable to do and rewarding)
• Glauo: Uder hih of the headigs do you put justie? 61
The Wearisome Class
• Even the idealist, Socrates believes justice ought to be placed in the class of things BOTH
intrinsically valuable and instrumentally valuable
o Glauo: That is ot the opiio of the ay… they ould put it i the
wearisome class (61)
• Glauos Gautlet:
o 1. State what people consider the nature and origin of justice
o 2. All who practice it do so unwillingly as something necessary but not good
o 3. The life of the unjust man is much better than that of the just
In Praise of Injustice
• Origin of Injustice
o The Best: to do wrong with impunity → it is better to afflict another without
penalty than to suffer affliction
o The Worst: to be wronged without recourse to vengeance → suffering affliction
is bad, but being powerless to take revenge is worse
o Middle Ground: justice is a social convention whose genesis is a contract
whereby those who suffer can take revenge → hat is alled just is atually
only what has become lawful
Unwilling Practitioners
• Natural Egoism: every individual pursues what seems in their best self interest; were it
not for a law prescribing, or prohibiting, or permitting certain acts with a view to
equality, this would be done without fear, guilt, or shame
o Ring of Gyges thought experiment: if you were free to do whatever you like
without fear of punishment where would your desire lead you?
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Document Summary
Justi(cid:272)e agai(cid:374) tha(cid:374) the just : three goods, glau(cid:272)o(cid:374) (cid:449)ishes to re(cid:448)i(cid:448)e thrasy(cid:373)a(cid:272)hus(cid:859) argu(cid:373)e(cid:374)t that the u(cid:374)just perso(cid:374) is (cid:271)etter off, 1. Good in itself intrinsic value (done for its own sake: 2. Good because of consequences instrumental value (done for the sake of something else: 3. Good in itself and for consequences intrinsic and instrumental value (both pleasurable to do and rewarding: glau(cid:272)o(cid:374): (cid:862)u(cid:374)der (cid:449)hi(cid:272)h of the headi(cid:374)gs do you put justi(cid:272)e? (cid:863) (cid:894)61(cid:895) State what people consider the nature and origin of justice: 2. All who practice it do so unwillingly as something necessary but not good: 3. The life of the unjust man is much better than that of the just. A choice between lives: the unjust: through cunning and persuasion has every appearance of having a just character, but is unjust in every way (e. g. deceitful, manipulating, inequitable, violent, etc. )
