100 Recommended Books, Vol. 1: 'The Republic' — What is Justice? That Question Resonates Even in Israel and Iran.
"Justice is returning what one has borrowed."
To the old man who says this, Socrates replies:
"What if what you borrowed was a weapon from an angry friend?"
■ Is justice really that simple?
Plato's 'The Republic,' Book 1, is like a 'gate' placed at the entrance to philosophy.
It stands majestically, yet it is open for anyone to pass through.
However, once you step inside, there is a labyrinth that seems to have no end.
It asks, what is justice?
On the other hand, the moment you think it is simple, the ground beneath your feet crumbles.
■ Cephalus's 'Justice' — Maintaining Order
In Book 1, the old sage Cephalus first states that 'returning what one has borrowed' is justice.
His earnest and honest words seem virtuous at first glance.
But Socrates immediately drives a wedge into that idea.
"Can it be called justice to return a sword borrowed from a friend who has gone mad?"
When justice is reduced to a formality, that formality can sometimes aid evil.
From here, we can see the deeper truth thatjustice is not about 'actions,' but rather a matter of 'relationships,' 'motives,' and 'consequences'.
■ For example, this is exactly what is happening in the modern Middle East
The exchanges between Israel and Iran are also colored by words thatclaim 'justice'.
'Taking back what was stolen,' 'defending ourselves because we were attacked,' 'retaliating because we were sanctioned'—all of these are spoken of as if they were natural 'repayments.'
However,is that truly 'justice'?
Reading Plato's 'The Republic' made me want to ask this.
"What if that were an act of returning a 'sword' to someone filled with rage?"
Socrates teaches us that the correctness of superficial rules sometimes harbors deep injustice.
Justice is not about returning things, but ratherabout questioning whether one should return them.
■ I can hear the voice of Thrasymachus
And in the latter half of Book 1 of 'The Republic,' the intense realist Thrasymachus appears.
"Justice is the interest of the stronger!"
His words are like the implicit understanding of international politics itself.
'Those who hold power speak of justice and judge others.'
He exposes the composition of such a world with bitterness, yet with sharpness.
Are the bombings and sanctions currently flowing in the Middle East in the name of 'justice'
perhaps nothing more than the 'justice of the strong' that Thrasymachus speaks of?
■ So, what do you believe in?
Socrates in Book 1does not yet provide a definition of justice.
He only continues to say what it is 'not.'
Even so, his dialogue moves forward.
Because he does not let go of the question.
Therefore, let us also stop speaking of 'justice' so easily for now.
Before returning fire, look at the trembling of your hands
Before asserting righteousness, ask who it might hurt
When speaking of the 'State,' do not forget the voice of the individual soul
That is the first 'question' that Book 1 of 'Republic' has given us.
■ And so, the questions continue
On to Book 2, where Glaucon and Adeimantus pose even tougher questions to Socrates.
'If no one were watching, would a person still uphold justice?'
'If the righteous suffer loss and the unjust gain honor, which would you choose?'
I intend to continue peering into the abyss of those questions.
📚 100 Recommended Books #01 'Republic' Book 1 Summary
Title: Plato's 'Republic' Book 1 (c. 380 BC)
Theme: What is justice? — Speculation that begins with its negation
Connection to the modern day: Learning the difficulty of discerning the form and essence of righteousness in light of the cycle of retaliation and justice in the Middle East
Brief note: Righteousness is not just about 'retaliating,' but about 'questioning.'
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