Thrasymachus

E192531

Thrasymachus is a Sophist and rhetorician in Plato’s Republic who famously argues that justice is nothing but the advantage of the stronger.

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All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Thrasymachus canonical 6

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Sophist
ancient Greek philosopher
fictionalized character in philosophical dialogue
rhetorician
appearsIn Plato's Republic
arguesThat injustice when on a large scale is stronger and more profitable than justice
justice is obedience to the laws made by the ruling power
rulers in each city make laws to their own advantage
associatedWithConcept conventionalism about justice
critique of traditional morality
egoism
political authority
realism about political power
centralThemeInDebate nature and definition of justice
relationship between power and morality
characterTrait aggressive debating style
impatience with Socratic questioning
contrastedWith Platonic ideal of justice as harmony in the soul and city
Socratic view that justice is a virtue beneficial to the soul
debatesWith Socrates
dialogueSection Plato's Republic
surface form: Book I of Plato's Republic
discussedIn classics scholarship
ethics
history of philosophy
political philosophy
ethicalView denies that justice is intrinsically good
praises the life of the unjust person when injustice is secure
fieldOfActivity rhetoric
sophistic teaching
genreContext Socratic dialogue
historicalPeriod classical Greece
influenceOn debates about moral relativism
interpretations of power and law in political theory
later discussions of justice in political philosophy
knownFrom Platonic dialogues
secondary ancient sources
language Ancient Greek
philosophicalPosition justice is nothing but the advantage of the stronger
might makes right
moral skepticism about conventional justice
politicalView identifies justice with the interest of the ruling group
portrayedBy Plato
region ancient Greek world
roleInWork interlocutor of Socrates in Plato's Republic
textualStatus character whose historical existence is debated by scholars

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Republic featuresCharacter Thrasymachus
Sophists includesMember Thrasymachus
Plato's Republic featuresCharacter Thrasymachus