The Republic of Plato – Book One Notes

• Piraeus is port of Athens and source of “outlandish ways of life”; The Piraeus was
also a place of resistance to “Thirty Tyrants” who ruled Athens after defeat by
Sparta
○ Polemarchus ends up dying by the hands of the tyrants while Socrates
suspected of showing sympathy to the tyrants
○ Socrates death is indirectly caused by the Thirty Tyrants
• Polemarchus is forcing Socrates to come with them but plays it off like a friendly
discussion (Polemarchus is the son of Cephalus)
• Ariston is Plato’s father, Glaucon and Adeimantus were his brothers; Lysias is a
classic orator who plays a role in overthrow of tyrants and restoration of
democracy; Thrasymachus taught rhetoric; Cephalus is not Athenian and lacks civil
rights but pays taxes

Dialogue with Cephalus

• Socrates eager to what it is like to become old, what it is like at “the threshold
of old age” (right before death)
• Cephalus says that many believe they reminisce about pleasures of youth and
bewail the abuse of old people
• Cephalus believes that old age brings great peace, freedom, relaxation; the
feeling about old age is in the character of the being rather than age itself
• Cephalus agrees that most don’t believe him because he is wealthy but he
argues that decency and wealth not just wealth determine how old age is
• Socrates asks if Cephalus made his money (he did) because Socrates notices he
is not overly fond of it whereas most money-makers treasure their money
• For Cephalus the best part about having wealth is that he could live an honest
life and be happy in old age instead of worried about Hades

Dialogue with Polemarchus

• The dialogue opens with Socrates considering what justice is: by Simonedes
general definition it is the repayment of one’s debts
○ Socrates questions how giving back weapons to someone who is crazy
could be considered just
• Socrates and Polemarchus suggest the definition is giving back what one
deserves/ what is fitting
• Polemarchus says justice is giving good to friends and harm to enemeies
○ Socrates uses the example of a doctor as best able to give health to
friends and bad to enemies
○ Polemarchus suggests that just man makes allies with friends and war
with enemies
○ Socrates contends that when there is no sickness a doctor is useless so
with no war is the just man useless?
• Polemarchus contends that justice is useful in peacetime to make
contracts/partnerships
○ Socrates argues that the just man is worse than the craftsman in matters
relating to craftsmanship
 ○ Polemarchus says the just man is useful in money matters
 Socrates contends that experts with money are more useful than
just men
○ Polemarchus says that just men are useful for keeping money safe
 Socrates says that when treasure is not used, the just man is useful;
justice is useful when things are not in use and useless when they
are
• Socrates asserts that those best at causing one thing should be best at
preventing it
• Polemarchus believes that justice is helping who one thinks is good and
harming who one thinks is bad
○ Soc says that some people may actually help enemies and harm friends
as a result
 As a result it would be in some cases just to help enemies and harm
friends
○ Polemarchus revises the definition of friend and enemy; friends are good
and enemies are bad (not just seem)
• Polemarchus allows that it is just to harm the bad and the enemy
○ Socrates says this will make the enemy worse (i.e. more unjust)
○ Since justice cant create injustice, injustice must create injustice
 Thus, it is never just to harm anyone because this would create
injustice

Dialogue with Thrasymachus

• Thrasymachus contends that justice is the advantage of the stronger

○ He says that justice is simply the rules of the established ruling body
• Socrates contends that it is just to obey the rules but sometimes the rulers
set down rules that prove disadvantageous for them because they make
mistakes
○ In this case, it would just for the ruled to obey laws that are
disadvantageous for the rulers (the ruled = weak, the ruler = strong)
○ So in fact the advantage of the stronger is no more just than the
disadvantage
• Cleitophon argues that Thrasymachus meant the advantage of the stronger
is what he believes to be his advantage
○ Thrasymachus rejects this and says that in general the ruler, the
doctor do not make mistakes at the moment they are ruling although
they can make mistakes
• Socrates brings up idea that the doctor, pilot, are people who do their
profession not make money and that it is advantageous for them to consider
their art rather than their profession (the art of medicine considers the
advantage of the body not medicine; the stronger consider the advantage of
the weak not the stronger)
• Socrates suggests that the rulers rule at the command of the ruled just as
the doctors work for the sick and not for themselves
○ He also suggests that rulers rule because they do not wish for a worse
man to be ruling
• Thrasymachus suggests that because injustice is more profitable than
justice, injustice is virtue and justice is vice
 ○ Socrates asserts that by saying this and not just that injustice is more
profitable but still vice and justice unprofitable but virtuous
Thrasymachus is unique in his view
• Socrates says that the just man gets the better of the unjust man; the unjust
man gets the better of both the unjust and the just man
• Socrates also states that if something is like something else, it is that
something (i.e. if wise is like prudent, it is prudent)
○ He in general says that the wise and good get the better of the
opposite while the bad and unlearned get the better of the like and the
opposite
 Socrates uses this analogy to describe the case of the unjust who
are like the bad and unlearned while the just are like the wise
and good
• Thus the just is the good and wise, the unjust is bad and
unlearned
• Socrates also argues that since injustice brings about factionalism and
justice brings unity it is mightier than injustice and since the gods are just,
the just man is a friend of the gods
• Socrates also says that since each object has a purpose, it also has virtue
○ Since the soul has a purpose, the soul has a virtue; because justice is
virtue it is the virtue of soul while injustice is vice
 Also because justice is good, the just soul will have a good and
profitable life and the injust soul will have a wretched and
unprofitable life