san jose :: essays research papers

sometimes in each persons life there is a turning point, a point in time when a revelation is reaveled to you. If you cannot see this revelation sometimes your vision may be clouded over by a voice that may or may not be your own. In the novel, many people are telling san jose to stop listening tom his own voice and folow them. But he knows that is wrong. At Polemarchus' house, Socrates discusses old age with Cephalus, Polemarchus' aging father. Cephalus says that old age is really not as bad as people say it is; if you're a moderate and contented person, your virtue makes old age pleasant. Socrates notes that some would say that it is Cephalus' wealth that makes old age bearable for him. Cephalus says that this is not true, wealth can help someone be virtuous, but it isn't the deciding factor. Cephalus defines just behavior as paying one's debts and speaking truthfully, and notes that wealth does help in these things. Socrates questions Cephalus' definition of just behavior, but before they can discuss it Cephalus leaves, leaving his argument to Polemarchus. Polemarchus defends his father's definition, saying that justice is giving each what is owed to him--treating friends well, and enemies badly. Socrates finds numerous problems with this definition. First is that, since people are sometimes mistaken about who their friends are, it appears to endorse treating bad people well and vice versa. Second is that, since injustice breeds injustice, it says that it is the job of the just person to create injustice. Just as Polemarchus agrees that his initial definition is incorrect, Thrasymachus, another guest at the house, roars into the conversation; he announces, with some pomp, that "justice is nothing other than the advantage of the stronger." In all cities, the rulers enact laws that are in their own best interests, and these laws are declared just, and so clearly justice is always at the service of the powerful.