Why should we be just?

What is justice? Why should we be just? Socrates asked this question while returning  home from religious festival nearly 2500 year ago. 

The same topic resonates to many like Plato, Aristotle, Bentham, Mill to Kant, Rawls and many till today. Chirrups over justice are worth reading. 

Cephalus, a rich and respected elder, was first to answer Socrates. Cephalus replied justice means living up to your legal obligations and being honest. A peek into answer show the desire of rich and respected to maintain status quo. Socrates refute the answer by putting a counter question. Is returning a weapon to madman would be just, as it would jeopardize the life of people? He added justice is more than honoring legal obligations and being honest. 

Next one to answer was Polemarchus. He was son of Cephalus and a ambitious young politician. Justice, says Polemarchus, owe friends help and you owe enemies harm. Socrates defeats his answer. He points out that our judgment concerning friends and enemies is fallible. We are not always friends with the most virtuous individuals, nor are our enemies always the scum of society. Socrates reveals that there is some incoherence in the idea of harming people through justice.

A Sophist named Thrasymachus opined that justice is nothing more then the advantage of the stronger. The rational thing to do is ignore justice entirely, as it is convention imposed. Socrates remarked the answer as promoting injustice as virtue. Maximization of self-interest till it not led one into punishment is certainly not justice. 

Discussion goes on. Even Socrates has not full and final answer. There was consensus developed that justice is desirable. It is virtue of soul and opposite of arbitariness. 

We know Socrates through the lenses of Plato, former's disciple. Detailed account is found in treatise by Plato and other students of Socratic school of thought. Plato narrated in his work The Republic, Justice is a virtue of the soul means the health of the soul and quality of the mind. In The Republic, Bloom says, Plato is trying to defend the act for which Socrates was executed. An erudite scholar, Emerson wrotes Plato visited India and learn under the tutelage of South Indian brahmins before writing  The Republic. Many scholars are of view that Plato's 

thoughts has impact of brahminic school of thought. 

A novice may inquire what do people get from this debate and discussion. Isn't it a waste of time? 

The reply is Happiness. Satisfaction. Endeavouring to decipher the unheard aspects leads to the state of bliss. Mental Peace is want of the individual. Pleasure, ecstasy, enjoyment are mere a mental state. We know, mind has unique ability to learn and grow. Plasticity of brain depends on training. Indian hrishies has given much contribution to mind sciences which has been highlighted by white hindu Rajiv Malhotra. J. S. Mill in debate with J. Bentham on utilitarianism asserted that it is better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a pig satisfied. Happiness lies in satisfaction and satisfaction is something to strive for. All human being naturally desire happiness. Happiness depends on the education of desire whereby soul learns how to harmonize its desires, redirecting its gaze away from physical pleasure to the love for knowledge and virtue. 

Overall, Philosophers are seen as stuffed with kind of madness. Dare to jump or dive deeper from diving board separate them from what is understood as normal. 

Philosophy gives ability to think beyond observable as it is intuitioned. Science is based on evidence and hence gives philosopher the ability to identify what is real. 

The purpose of writing blog is just carving thoughts into words. Scattered ideas are due to lack of editing. There is no target audience for this blog. This blog is meant for learning process.