Justice viewed by Thrasymachus

While in most instances, I believe Plato to be the “right” opinion, one of his opponents, Thrasymachus, makes a great argument that applies especially well to our times.  Thrasymachus believes, “Justice is the advantage of the strongest.” This means that those who have the power to determine what it means to be just will manipulate it to benefit themselves or hurt anyone they see fit.

 

 If we assume that everyone in power abides by this concept, which isn’t necessarily impossible, then we find ourselves in a situation like the citizens during the lottery of Babylon.  Assuming there is some head to the lottery, He has complete and total power and can even use his minions to spy on anyone in Babylon.  The lottery has completely changed the concept of justice in Babylon by adding rewards and punishments for doing absolutely nothing.  People could lose their lives off of one bad draw.  While one could argue that this is a story, it also applies to our lives today. 

We live in a system where we are given a list of people to vote for who we thing would be the best, or strongest, applicant.  We are handing them the power to decide our fates, and sometimes with little to no thought, like the presidential candidate, “Deez Nuts.”  The biggest flaw in Thrasymachus’ logic is the fact that not all humans are corrupt immoral beings, however, if we look at examples, such as the Netflix Original, House of Cards, it shows that even with plenty of moral and just people, one corrupt man can flip the government on its knees and even rise to the most powerful position on the planet.  While I don’t completely agree with Thrasymachus’ ideas, it is definitely something we should take into consideration with the people we choose to give power.