Answer each question, - Essay Example

4. Final definition is that justice is advantage of the stronger. Each of the above definition tries to refine the other and give a better understanding of justice. But each definition has a flaw and cannot be taken as the right definition of justice. The first 2 definitions are very similar and the second definition is formulated in response to the criticism of the first one. Both of them are flawed. First one is based on well defined legal obligations. But legal obligations might not hold right under circumstances.

On the other hand, the second definition is based on the individual decision making of who is a friend and who is an enemy. This is leads to a lot of chaos disturbs the stability in the system as there are too many factors affecting each individuals perception and decision making. The fourth definition rather than defining justice highlights or gives an edge to injustice. The most compelling definition is the first one as it is a brings stability to the system and sets rules to be followed by everyone. 2. What is the noble lie?

How does Plato justify its use? The noble lie had two parts to it. First part was that the citizens would be told that they were born under the earth and hence earth was their mother. They were not born to human beings, i.e. mortal parents. Second part was that every citizen would be born with a metal in their soul. The metal would either be gold, silver or bronze. The metal in the soul would determine the role that a citizen played in the society and their actual worth. The metal in soul was completely an intervention of God and did not depend on factors such as education, upbringing or source of birth.

The ones with gold belonged to the elite and ruling class while silver and bronze consisted of farmers and other craftsmen. Plato justified the use of noble lie stating that such a lie was essential in order to maintain a stable social structure. He said that not everybody smart enough to look after their own and the society’s interests. Hence, there would are only few smart people who need to be identified and they will be the ones who will lead the rest. Therefore, such a lie needs to be fed to the citizens in order to keep them happy and under control in the various situations of life. 3. Discuss the ‘allegory of the cave’.

“Allegory of the cave” is an allegory used by Plato to describe the unpleasant and difficult situations that mankind gets into and proposes a solution. He mainly focuses on education and enlightenment. In the allegory, Plato describes a cave with chained prisoners who cannot move. Their head is also chained and they are facing the wall. Behind them is a big fire and in between them and fire is a parapet. Puppeteers walk on the parapet holding puppets whose shadow is cast on the wall. The prisoners are not aware of what is happening behind them and all that they can see is the shadow on the wall.

The prisoners perceive the shadows as reality as they know nothing of what is causing the shadows. They believe that the shadow that they see on the wall is the ultimate reality. If they see a book and term it as a book, they are wrong as they are only looking at the shadow of the book. The prisoners understand their error when they are unchained and allowed to look behind. That is when they understand reality. The same is said about knowledge. What we see is not reality but only what we believe it is.

We are like the prisoners staring at the wall. It is only when we achieve reflective understanding that