Cephalus' Definition Inconsistent
The dialogue is told by Socrates a day after it has occurred, although we do not know who he is talking to. The interlocutors in the dialogue are Socrates the narrator, Cephalus the aged man, Polemarchus the son of Cephalus, and others. Although the central theme of their conversation is about justice, they are engaged in other topics that may shape their opinion about justice. During their conversation, they cannot come up with a precise definition of what justice is, rather they have tried to utter their opinions about what justice is. While Socrates keeps asking for clarity by breaking down the opinions suggested by the other interlocutors. Do differences in age, beliefs, experience, and level of education have an impact on their understanding of justice? I argue that there is no difference among the interlocutors on their opinions about justice. Their real difference lies in their difference in their level of questioning the inconsistencies that existed in established knowledge.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Socrates begins his narration of the dialogue by describing how he recently visited, with Glaucon, the port of Athens- Perius to pray and to witness a religious festival that was being held. Socrates is pleased with what he saw in the holiday. As Socrates and Glaucon are leaving Perius, another friend of theirs sees them and sent his slave who grabs Socrates’s coat and says that his master, Polemarchus, insists that they wait for him.Polemarchus, together with Adeimantus and others, catches up Socrates.Considering that Glaucon is with Socrates and Ademintus, Glaucon’s brother, with Polemarchus, it is fair to assume that this two people, Socrates and Polemarchus are intimate friends. As Polemarchus and Adeimentus convince him, Socrates agrees to visit Polemarchus house and, together with the rest of the people, heads over to Polemarchus’ house. Upon arrival, they meetCephalus, Polemarchus’ father, and others.Everyone sits down next to Cephalus, who's impressively glad to see Socrates.Cephalus, the wealthy old metic who welcomes Socrates and offers his hospitality to those who would engage in philosophical discussion, provides the very first definition of justice to be found in the dialogue. Cephalus who is archetypal of a morality of the ancient class established the traditional concept of justice. However, the first reference to the term justice appears not right at the outset of the dialogue. The dialogue starts with what is a friendly and innocuous conversation between Socrates and Cephalus, in which Socrates asks Cephalus what it is like to be old and rich, what he has learned from having lived a long life during which Cephalus has managed to acquire a certain amount of money. Socrates keeps asking Cephalus whetherthe experience of age have taught him something about life, whether he misses the sexual appetites, and whetherwealth is a good thing or a bad thing. Cephalus replies that he is free from baser desire , that wealth in age offers a man the liberty of always telling the truth (never misrepresenting himself in word or deed), and also to leave this life owing nothing to anyone and therefore without fear of having been unjust to anyone whether to God or human. It is at this point, Socrates asks Cephalus whether justice is simply telling the truth and paying back debt. Cephalus suggests that justice involves nothing more than telling the truth and repaying one’s debts. But Socrates points out that in certain circumstances, taking these simple rules without exception could produce disastrous results. (Republic 331c) Returning a borrowed weapon to an insane friend, for example, would be an instance of ensuing the rule but would not seem to be an example of justice.However, since Cephalus defines justice as both truth and a state of being debt free, Socrates’ argument of ‘returning a weapon to an insane person’ may not make Cephalus’ definition inconsistent.Socrates’ qu