Plato and Rawls Flashcards
Happiness of guardians P
Socrates says its not his job to make one particular part of the city spectacularly happy, it’s his job to make the city as a whole happy
- Anything that tears the city apart keeps the city from being happy as a whole
- Guardians are not only the people who have been educated to guard the people but also live as soldiers
According to Plato, the guardians’ happiness is not found in personal pleasure or material wealth, but in the pursuit of the greater good and the realization of their true nature as rational beings. They are motivated by a sense of duty and responsibility to the city and its citizens, rather than by self-interest or personal gain
Wealth/poverty P
He advocates for a simple and communal way of life for the guardians, devoid of excessive wealth or poverty.
“Wealth and poverty” = the division of society/ primary cause of conflict
Four virtues P
4 virtues:
- Wise
City is wise: when people have the knowledge/ right knowledge to rule yourself or city
To be wise is to have the right kind of knowledge for making the right decisions for the city
What part of the city is wise? The head/ brain
- Courageous
To be able to determine where is the appropriate place to put fear and the right situation to respond in the right way
The idea that the city is able to defend itself / be able to defend the right thing. What you are to defend and what you are to attack
What part of the city would be courageous? In the arms? In the heart? Having a sense that there is a part of the body that defends your body. Skin?
- Moderate/temperate
Potential to be too hard/strong headed
Moderation is the harmony among all of the parts of the city
Essentially keeps the parts doing what they are supposed to do
Most likely the nervous systems
Make sure that each part does its part
- Just
Doing your own work
Doing what you are naturally suited to do
Definition of justice P
the easiest way to define justice would be to create a city and be able to see it in the city rather than within an individual.
- everyone doing what they’re naturally suited to do
Three parts of the city/soul
3 parts of the city
- Irrational part
Wise virtue
RULERS (complete guardians)
- Spirited part
Courageous virtue
Confidence
GUARDIANS
- Appetitive: characterized by a natural desire to satisfy bodily needs.
The left over jobs:
Farmer
Potter
Doctor **
Banker
These are all the producers. Having the desire to produce these things and sell it. Their appetite is money.
These people are the stomach
Each producer is ‘to be just’
PRODUCERS (craftspeople)
Rational- rulers
Spirited- guardians
Appetitive- producers
Principles of justice
1.Equal distribution of basic rights and liberties which are being distributed equally meaning everyone gets the same
2.Unequal distribution of social and economic goods:
As long as:
- Positions and offices open to all (equal and opportunity)
- Benefits the least advantaged – difference principle
- The people who have the least access to these goods but not the least access of basic rights and liberties
Example of goods: money, power, government
Cannot switch the principles around
Difference principle
Benefits the least advantaged – difference principle
Rawls suggests that social and economic inequalities should be arranged so that they are both to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged members of society, and attached to positions and offices open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity. This principle allows for inequalities in wealth and income as long as they benefit the least advantaged members of society and are part of a system that provides equal opportunities for all individuals to advance their positions.
Justice as fairness
Justice as fairness represents Rawls’ theory of distributive justice, which aims to establish principles for the fair distribution of social goods within society.
Original position/ veil of ignorance
hypothetical thought experience where we are behind a veil of ignorance where we don’t know anything about ourselves or the others with whom we are deliberating (class, talents, race, gender, etc.) choosing between 2 principles and the principle of utility
- imagined thought experiment
Argument against utility
emphasize the importance of prioritizing individual rights, justice, and fairness within society, as well as the need to address issues of distributive justice and ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to lead a fulfilling life.
Teleology/deontology
Teleology- aiming toward the end (telos) purposeful and aiming toward some good (ends justify the means)
Teleology is the philosophical idea that there is purpose or end goal inherent in nature or human life, and ethical decisions are judged based on whether they align with that inherent purpose or end goal.
Deontology: The right is prior to the good: means the method we use is more important that the
outcome
Deontology is an ethical theory that judges the morality of actions based on their adherence to rules or principles, rather than the consequences of those actions. It is often contrasted with consequentialism, which evaluates the rightness or wrongness of actions based on their outcomes.
Primary social good
Rawls Primary social goods: what do we need as citizens?
Rights and liberties- first principle of justice– equal distribution
Powers and opportunities - second principle
Income and wealth - second principle
Social bases of self respect
Imperfect justice
Imperfect procedural justice refers to a system of justice in which the procedures for determining outcomes are fair but the outcomes themselves may not necessarily be just. In other words, while the procedures for decision-making are fair and impartial, the results may still lead to inequalities or injustices. Rawls argues that imperfect procedural justice is insufficient for achieving a just society because it fails to address the substantive inequalities and injustices that may arise from the outcomes of decisions.
Perfect justice
Perfect procedural justice, on the other hand, refers to a system of justice in which the procedures for determining outcomes are not only fair but also lead to just outcomes. Rawls suggests that perfect procedural justice is achieved when the procedures for decision-making are designed to ensure that the outcomes are consistent with the principles of justice. In other words, perfect procedural justice not only guarantees fair procedures but also guarantees just outcomes.
Pure procedural justice
Pure procedural justice represents the most stringent form of procedural justice, where the focus is solely on the fairness of the procedures for decision-making, regardless of the outcomes. Rawls argues that pure procedural justice is insufficient for achieving a just society because it fails to address the substantive inequalities and injustices that may arise from the outcomes of decisions. Instead, he emphasizes the importance of perfect procedural justice, which combines fair procedures with just outcomes.
