To solve this enigma, Plato sets the foundation that Justice must be good in and of itself. There need not be any add-ons or qualifiers, simply put Justice must be good, achievable and sought after. I think Plato is wrong.
Just to be clear, I do in fact think Justice is a good thing. I do not adhere anarchy and I do believe we can define right and wrong. However, in relation to Justice I simply think the discussion is largely inflated irrelevance. One quick glance around the globe shows us how drastically unjust our little planet Earth is. Shootings in Ferguson, slavery in Africa, torture in the Middle East, all of these are reprehensible actions. The question we need to be asking is: Why? If people have the capacity to act rationally, why don't they? We're all quick to label something as Just or Unjust, but what about in our own lives. When we went around the room on Wednesday asking what would happen if we were given the ring of invisibility, the overwhelming majority said they would do something that would otherwise be considered unjust. With that in mind, it seems pretty clear to me that humanity is inherently flawed somehow. Therefore, Justice can never be achieved.
While this statement may leave a vile taste in your mouth, I believe the taste comes not from our rejection of the notion. It comes from our regret that its true. So although Plato may talk about his Republic or the perfect form of Justice, personally I think he's missing the point. Like trying to catch the wind with your hands, some things aren't possible. We must change our focus, from the idealistic and recognize the reality. The reality is that despite our ability to choose rationality, people chose irrationality. Again, the question is why. To understand Justice, we must first understand humanity. Only then can we see if Justice exists at all.
~Daniel D.
While I agree justice--and even more so, peace--are humanity's futile attempt to create some sort of order in this world, I believe Plato was on to something. Socrates compared the human soul to a city. He believed each person, each member of the city, was given a "calling" or purpose unique to them. If someone deviated from their "calling," they were acting unjustly and must be "broken" within their soul. Is this not the a true testament to humanity? All of us are broken in one way or another. There are those of us who have found hope and healing for our brokenness and those who let it drive them to do unspeakable things. Perhaps Plato was not necessarily wrong, just slightly off track.
ReplyDeleteFair point, I hadn't given much thought to that side of the equation. I think I agree with what you're saying and that the two might not be mutually exclusive. Plato in fact does draw people into the conversation of a perfect city where everyone seeks to fulfill their 'calling'. I guess my point is that on the surface this is a great concept, but when he enters the humanity layer he completely disregards the 'broken' aspect. He assumes that people can find their calling in their works, which i contend isn't possible because when left to themselves people can never behave perfectly or rationally.
DeleteIt seems as though much of the problem here lies in "treating the symptoms and not the cause"...
ReplyDeleteIn order to be able to function, "justice" requires a set of standards by which to judge things... And, on a global level, that standard is exactly what we do not have, since not everyone considers the same things to be morally wrong or morally right--not everyone has the same ideas of what constitutes "good, achievable, and sought-after." So, Plato's fundamental argument encounters a hurdle from the very start!
As for human nature... While it is a nice thought to hope that people naturally tend toward the good (whatever definition of "good" is being used here!), there is no denying what sorts of horrific things humanity is willing to do, and not always for "rational" reasons!
I remember hearing about the Stanford Prison Experiment, but I did not realize it actually has a website devoted to it!
http://www.prisonexp.org
I wonder how folks who say people are basically good would respond to the results of it?
Wow, I literally just got done listening to a mini sermon over at the University of Memphis by Jonathan Keenan (the RUF Minister) and he brought up that exact study! Great timing and I think it's an excellent, albeit disturbing, example of what 'good' and 'rational' people are capable of.
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