The following is an OUTSTANDING explanation from Professor John Holbo on the Coursera Online Course about Reason and Persuasion regarding Plato's Republic. One of the Dialogues refers to Thrasymachus and the way in which he perceives and explains the notion of JUSTICE.
Below, you'll read Holbo's down-to-earth terrific explanation:
1) Justice is politically and socially non-explanatory. Studying justice doesn't help you understand how things work around the place. Because they don’t work justly. Life is unfair, kid! Thus, if you want to understand life, study not-fair.
2) Justice is personally undesirable. Practising justice is no way to get ahead in business or anywhere else. It’s a risky, thankless pain.
By contrast, injustice is interesting, useful and smart. Which brings us the flip-sides to 1 and 2.
3) Injustice is politically explanatory. Most of what happens in politics and society, in life, happens because someone is taking unfair advantage of someone else. This is the norm, not the exception.
4) Injustice is personally desirable. Pursuing injustice gets you what you want.
This is complicated because 2) and 4) are more like rules of thumb. (Think about why that is.)
But really this is complicated because of
5), make sure to call it 'justice' when you are pursuing injustice. And call what the just people are doing 'unjust', for good measure. (It's safer that way!)
Consistent with 5, you should label this theory of injustice 'a theory of justice'. And I think that's pretty much what Thrasymachus does.
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