I don't think this is easy at all, I for one don't know how to give a good answer
But for what it's worth, this is the full quotation:
PLATO:
I'm to lazy to do it, lol. So here is the question:
What do you think PLato meant when he said, "It pays therefore to act unjustly"?
I don't think this is easy at all, I for one don't know how to give a good answer
But for what it's worth, this is the full quotation:
PLATO:
well, using the whole quote, i think he was saying that the rules only come from those in power, and those rules may or may not be morally righteous, so if one of the ruling powers' rules was morally unjust, then it would be better to be a criminal than a law-abiding citizen
orrrrr
he is going against the saying that only the strong survive, he says that following them is not the morally right thing to do, but rather, being a criminal to the saying is the best thing to do
i have no idea, theology/philosophy were never my strong suit
just report it and ignore it.
I'll give it a try.
What Plato means, is that when you act by laws, you promote the good of others and by doing so, you hurt yourself. If you disobey the laws, which are made for the sake of everyone in the community, you don't promote the good of others, but rather gain good for yourself. The laws are made to make everything and everyone even, if you break them, you gain advantages. Let's say you have a test, you are not allowed to cheat on that test. But someone in your class does cheat, so by not obeying the rules, they gain an advantage. Now, let's say that test determines whether you get your scholarship or not. You do not cheat for the sake of other, so everyone would have the same chance of getting the scholarship. But someone cheats, so they get a better mark and therefore are more likely to get the scholarship.
Am I getting through here, or what?
J (03-08-2012)_L _ K_ 6 4
Depending on the level of study you're in your teacher might also expect you to comment on the duplicitous morality of justice. Plato states that the only justice that exists stems from the views and opinions of those who are strongest, and is in turn enforced on the weaker even though they may not share those views/opinions/desires. We not that in itself is not just, so how can it be justice? For the specific part of the quote that you're working on Plate states that it pays yo act unjustly, and the meaning there is twofold: if you can enforce your 'justice' on others then you certainly gain (it pays) but you're still acting unjustly. Second, it you're the one who's having the justice enforced on you then you have a given right to defy it as it's antithetical to your very being but to do would be to act unjustly; but it might still pay if you're more at peace with yourself afterwards.