I’ve been thinking a lot about class yesterday and the general frustration/confusion that many of you expressed about reading The Republic. Here is a link to a different translation of the text–it is electronic and differentiates who is speaking to whom in the dialogues much clearer (although I personally do not think the translation is as good). Also the Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is a terrific resource.

Instead of responding to Book 7 and the great “allegory of the cave,” I think that for my response, I am going to share some of my questions and thoughts regarding Book One. As mentioned in class, Book One concludes with the lingering questions of What is justice? What is injustice? Is it always better to be just than unjust? And, as some of you pointed out, this is not a question that gets answered in Book One.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “justice” (as a noun) is defined as “The quality of being (morally) just or righteous; the principle of just dealing; the exhibition of this quality or principle in action; just conduct; integrity, rectitude. (One of the four cardinal virtues.)” When used as a verb, “justice” means “to rule or govern.” In Plato, the word “just” is also frequently used, which has connotations of “righteousness.” So, what are these guys really trying to figure out?

It always helps me to grapple with complicated ideas like these by looking at the world now–in particular, The New York Times. A quick glance at today’s paper showed many many headlines that seem incredibly unjust–for example, in an article about NYC and gentrification: “At $837,668, the average household income (a 2009 figure) of those Manhattanites in the top 5 percent is 81 times as much as the average income of those in the bottom 20 percent ($10,328).” How did we allow this to happen? And, why on the same page of headlines is there an article about a cat who was lost in Colorado and somehow made its way to NYC? Is that just–that these two articles are on the same page? Is it even possible to define or measure justice–isn’t part of defining terms with political connotations like these personal opinion?

No wonder Socrates asks so many questions, and no wonder Plato writes them out for us.