Justice – with Socrates, Glaucon and Adeimantus


Kofi Anan

It is not so much what we say, but how we act; it is not enough to ‘seem’ but to actually be.

In the debate on which between justice and injustice is more beneficial, Glaucon and his brother Adeimantus play the devils advocates and argue that injustice was much more beneficial than justice. They claim that persons who claim to love justice, only do so because they want the praise of men, or because they have not had the opportunity to perpetuate injustice without being caught; or simply because they are afraid of becoming victims of injustice themselves. They claim that if individuals possessed the power to benefit from injustice, without being caught, all would take the path of injustice. They claim the benefits of being unjust have been well documented including riches, honour and even a claim of divine pardon as the unjust are wealthier and can offer more befitting sacrifices and atonement for sins than the just person, whose pathway is usually one of hardship and poverty, and ironically being tagged as unjust. They claimed no one would willingly accept such if they could have their way.

Glaucon buttressed his point with the story of a ring which could make one invisible, and thus commit acts of injustice without ever being caught. The possession of this ring he said, would be the true test for the just, and none would pass that test. I would not attempt to summarise the response of Socrates to these two brothers, because attempting to do so, would be attempting to summarise the entire Republic of Plato. Much of The Republic was centred on this theme of justice. Indeed before proceeding to start his response, the great Socrates himself agreed it was not going to be an easy task. It took the creation of a new state (The Republic), in other to describe justice in large enough quantity for the short sighted like ourselves to see. It was at the beginning of the creation of this new state that this his famous quote came about: “Then, I said, let us begin and create in idea a State; and yet the true creator is necessity, who is the mother of our inventions.” Socrates had to go this long route because the disputation did not begin with Glaucon and Adeimantus, but with Thrasymachus whom Socrates had replied when he claimed injustice was superior to justice; and thought he had won the debate when Thrasymachus conceded only for Glaucon to pick it up again. (Refer to The Consolation on this same blog).

In any case, my main interest in writing this piece is not the response of Socrates, but the content of what Glaucon and Adeimantus are saying. It is usually said that what we do in secret demonstrates who really are; and we can go further to say what we do when given power also shows who we really are. As much as many will claim not to agree with the brothers, their actions have shown us that they not only agree with them but have even gone beyond the expectations of the brothers on the advantages of injustice. This conclusion is being made as people no longer pretend to be just when given power, but are blatantly unjust with no shame or remorse. For those who will read the excerpt below to the end, you will know on which side you belong based on your desires, actions in secret or when given power. I hope for the sake of humanity, that Glaucon and Adeimantus would be proved wrong in your case, should you be given possession of the ring of Gyges.

Socrates' Golden Quote

Dr Ande Elisha

The Amateur Philosopher


With these words I was thinking that I had made an end of the discussion; but the end, in truth, proved to be only a beginning. For Glaucon, who is always the most pugnacious of men, was dissatisfied at Thrasymachus’ retirement; he wanted to have the battle out. So he said to me: Socrates, do you wish really to persuade us, or only to seem to have persuaded us, that to be just is always better than to be unjust?


Then you certainly have not succeeded….”




Ring of Gyges



Excerpts from: Plato, “The Republic.” iBooks


The Symbol of Justice