"But still I acknowledge that I am perplexed when I hear the voices of Thrasymachus and myriads of others dinning in my ears; and, on the other hand, I have never yet heard the superiority of justice to injustice maintained by any one in a satisfactory way. I want to hear justice praised in respect of itself; then I shall be satisfied, and you are the person from whom I think that I am most likely to hear this."
- Glaucon, The Republic, Book II, by Plato. Translation by Benjamin Jowett
Sistafriend Socrates may have beaten Thrasymachus, but Book II starts with Glaucon, Plato's brother, telling Socrates that he really wants to be persuaded into believing justice is better than injustice. He presents three kinds of goods to Socrates:
- Things enjoyed for their own sake
- Things enjoyed for the sake of their results
- Things enjoyed both for their own sake and the sake of their results
Then Glaucon asks Socrates, where does he place Justice? Socrates, of course, places Justice in the "highest class", things that are good in themselves and for the results they bring. Glaucon goes on to say that "the many of are of another mind; they think that justice is to be reckoned in the troublesome class, among goods which are to be pursued for the sake of rewards and of reputation, but in themselves are disagreeable and rather to be avoided." (Socrates notes that this was Thrasymachus's position but he is "too stupid to be convinced by him.")
Glaucon, however, has a plan. He's going to argue Thrasymachus's position just so Socrates can defend Justice and prove that it is better than injustice. He argues that if anyone can do it, Socrates can...
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