The Virtue Of Injustice In The Republic By Plato

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Accordingly, Plato observes still more of the common good from his Ship of State. The sailors on this ship, who are not able to sail the ship, rail against the Captain, who is the only one able to sail, and by levels of deception, are able to make the captain do as they please, but does this make any of them capable of sailing? If this is the case with a city, that bad citizens may deceive and corrupt the government, then those future leaders must first embrace the cold reality there is little praise for them when they are just. In the same way, the commissioner of the Law-enforcers and to those who actually enforce the law must first receive education that most of their careers will be thankless and perhaps dangerous to a society full of worthless sailors. …show more content…

Now, how should the city address the cries of injustice by those who are its law-abiding citizens? Shall the sailor be the judge of the Captain? It seems necessary also to allow for a redress of grievances, both to calm those who have a true concern for the welfare in the city and to quiet those who may be eager to show unrest. But this redress ought to be a form and process, and not through excess shouting and clapping in protests, nor dishonor and fear of death, or from other means that may manipulate the guardians, so that no group of citizens, who are really worthless sailors in the Ship of State, may overwhelm the leaders and officers. For men, as Plato points out, are not lovers of being hated and may shy away from holding to their justice when pressures and punishments overwhelm them. Moreover, this concern of pressure also should cause the leaders to not allow guardians to whom beg citizens to be their guardians or rulers, just as no Captain begs sailors to sail their

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