Plato Justice And Ethics

1009 Words3 Pages

In the Republic, Plato discusses many topics, including the issue of justice versus injustice (Plato 34). Plato’s argument indicates that justice works interchangeably with proper ethics (Plato 35). According to Plato, in order for a person to live the “best life”, they must live with justice and ethics (Plato 35). These two terms are similar in the sense that it is subjective to each individual. One’s definition of justice results from their own beliefs of ethics, which varies from person to person. Plato claims that doing “justice” is the better way of living, even if it brings misfortune in the end (Plato 34-35). This brings up the ethical dispute that misfortunes from justice is better than rewards earned from injustice. However, as seen in modern day, there is still no universal idea as to whether or not something is justifiable or abides by the ethical conduct that is expected. Often times, an action may seem justified to one individual while it seems unjustified to another. In order for someone to get what they want, they don’t think about their actions, whether or not it is following their ethical codes. In this case, the idea of “justice” and “ethics” is purely a mirage of the mind that people created so that they have a reason to feel good about themselves. In today’s society, many people get away with doing “injustice” while the actions of “justice” are disregarded. The definition of “justice” and “ethics” is still open-ended as demonstrated by justice system of the United States. There are people getting away with crimes and innocent people being put into prisons. Many times, these cases communicate the racial discrimination in the states.
Believe it or not, corruption is everywhere. In America, there had been many c...

... middle of paper ...

...those who have not done injustice is twice as vulnerable to living an unjust life.

Works-Cited
"United States: A Nation of Jailbirds; Lexington." The Economist Apr 04 2009: 40. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2014 .
"World Report 2013: United States." Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch, 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Dalmeida, Kanya. "Ostracized and Isolated: Muslim Prisoners in the US." Truthout. Truthout, 27 Apr. 2014. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Plato. The Republic. Trans. G. M. A. Grube. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1992. Print.
Wang, Frances Kai-Hwa. "From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: Commemorating the Vincent Chin Case." Asian American Policy Review 19 (2010): 23-6. ProQuest. Web. 5 May 2014.
Wu, Frank H. "Embracing Mistaken Identity: How the Vincent Chin Case Unified Asian Americans." Asian American Policy Review 19 (2010): 17-22. ProQuest. Web. 5 May 2014.

Open Document