POL200Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Thrasymachus, Glaucon, Cephalus
Document Summary
Two passages on ethics and politics: 537e 539a, 492bc. Dramatizes the conversation between socrates, thrasymachus, glaucon, and adeimantus, the. Like thucydides, plato attempted to construct a work that would be meaningful and last two being plato"s brother. withstand the test of time. Think philosophically about justice: socrates tries to explain why justice is beneficial, and why it leads to greater personal happiness. At first he does it on the individual level: to defend the life of a just individual, but then he realizes it is also necessary to discuss the political life. Socrates poses an understanding of justice that was previously not in public consideration. Entry point: at the end of book seven, socrates tells the story of a young man who grows up learning about traditional ethics from his family. When he comes of age, a questioner comes along and questions him, the young man is unable to answer these questions. He is unable to justify his traditional values.
