se law to decide what isright. The kind of justice practiced anywhere depends on the type of government theyhave in power. Socrates does not disagree with this view if the facts about the society areas Thrasymachus says they are, however, he argues that sometimes rulers make mistakes. In that case obedience to the law maybe leads to its own disadvantage, thereforeThrasymachuss definition is also inadequate. Furthermore, Socrates says that the bestruler must always know how to rule. They should rule for the art of ruling, but not theirown interest alone. Later, Glaucon suggests that human beings, given an opportunity todo injustice without being caught and therefore without suffering any punishment or lossof good reputation, would naturally choose a life of injustice, in order to maximize theirown interests. Glaucons definition of justice is that its an equal contract, an approachbetween what is the best (doing injustice without paying the penalty) and the worse(suffering injustice without being able to avenge one self). Adieamantus narrows thediscussion further by pointing out that to have a good reputation of justice is moreimportant than justice is itself, whether or not that person really does have a goodreputation of justice. In an attempt to provide an adequate, satisfying definition of justice,Socrates tries to make an analogy between the justice of individual human beings and ofan entire society or city. Since the crucial elements of justice may be easier to observe onthe larger scale like a city than on a smaller scale like an individual. Socrates focuses onthe perfect city, because the city will represent the human soul. Socrates began with adetailed analysis of the formation, structure, and organization of this ideal city. He arguesthat since individual human beings are not self-sufficient; no one working alone canacquire all of the necessities of life by themselves. In order to resolve this difficulty, wegather toget...
