Question Database: Ancient Philosophy: Plato
Gorgias
A summary of the argument from Gorgias 475c onwards:
1. If doing injustice is more disgraceful than suffering it then doing injustice is either more harmful or more painful or both.
2. Doing injustice is clearly not more painful than suffering it.
3. So, doing injustice must be more harmful. (It clearly can't be both since it is not more painful.)
4. But, whatever is more harmful is more evil (i.e. more kakon).
5. So, doing injustice is more evil than suffering it.
6. No one prefers what is more evil (and disgraceful) over what is less so.
7. So, no one really prefers doing injustice to suffering it.
What do you think of Socrates' argument?
Choose just one answer out of the following four:
A. All the premises are obviously true, so it’s an excellent argument and I am convinced
B. The argument is valid, but I’m not sure that all the premises are true
C. Clearly Socrates is wrong to say that it’s better to suffer injustice than to commit it. So we can safely pass over this argument
D. The argument is invalid
Answer: B
Topic:
Gorgias, injustice
Course Level:
Second year ancient philosophy