Political Authority and Obligation

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Political Authority and Obligation

• Platos Republic, Book I
• The Challenge of Thrasymachus

2
Plato and Athenian Democracy

• Plato (428-348 BCE)
• founder of the Academy
• student of Socrates teacher of Aristotle
• author of the Platonic dialogues
• Athenian Democracy
• Athens a city-state
• direct democracy

3
The Republic, Book I

• Theme What is Justice?
• Main Characters of the dialogue
• Socrates
• Glaucon, Adiemantus, Polemarchus
• Cephalus
• Thrasymachus

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Definitions of Justice

• 1. Cephalus to speak the truth and pay back
  ones debts (321c)
• Problem there are times when telling the truth
  or returning something is the wrong thing to do

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Definitions of Justice

• 2. Polemarchus to give to each what is owed to
  them to benefit ones friends and harm ones
  enemies
• Problem it can never be good to harm someone.

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Argument for claim it is never good to harm
anyone

• P1. Just as dogs are made worse when they are
  subject to ill treatment, so men are made worse
  when they are harmed. (335b-c)
• P2. The function of good is to help people, not
  to harm them. (335d)
• P3. The just man is good. (335e)
• C. Therefore, the function of the just man is not
  to harm anyone. (335e)

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Definitions of Justice

• 3. Thrasymachus justice is the interest of the
  stronger (338c)
• Interpretation The ruling class will always make
  rules in their interest, and that is what will be
  called justice.

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Thrasymachus Challenge

• Can Political Authority be Justified?

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Socrates Response to Thrasymachus

• 1. Rulers can be wrong about what is in their
  interest.
• 2. As the craft of shepherding is to advantage
  the sheep, so the craft of ruling must be to
  advantage the ruled.
• 3. Justice is to the advantage of all.

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Argument for claim that justice is advantageous
to all

• P1. Being just will make one well-liked.
• P2. The unjust will always compete with one
  another.
• P3. It is advantageous to be able to cooperate
  with others.
• P4. Just persons will not cooperate with unjust
  ones, nor unjust ones with each other.
• C. It is advantageous to be just.

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Problem of Political AuthorityLegitimacy

• When is political authority justified, and not
  simply the interest of the ruling class?