Thucydes And Socrates

4 Pages 936 Words

“Origins of political ideas”


Thucydides and Socrates think differently about doing what is just. Thucydides believed that justice didn’t exist; to him injustice was necessary, where as Socrates believed in it and believed that one should “live a life that is just”.
Justice deals with being fair; doing what is right and not wrong. According to Thucydides “justice depends on the equality of power to compel… in fact the strong do what they have the power to do and the weak accept what they have to accept.” (Thucydides, pg.402), he believes that power decides how things should be, meaning that justice doesn’t form part of any decision making. Those who have power have control over those who have nothing and thus take advantage of them. The desire for having power is what keeps these people trapped in an unjust world. But only those who are “weak” can see the injustice because they are the ones who are leaving it. For example, in the




discussion between the Melian and Athenians the Melians said: “And how could it be just as good for us to be the
slaves as for you to be the masters? – Athenians: “ You, by giving in, would save yourselves from disaster; we, by not destroying you, would be able to profit from you” (Thucydides, pg 402). The Melians can see the injustice going on; they know that there would be justice if they were both equal in status and not seen as the inferior.
To the Athenians it would be a disadvantage to pursue a just life, because then they would not have power over others. If they believed in justice the “weak” would fight for their rights and that is not what they want.
Socrates believed in a just world. He would rather die then to commit injustice. He believed in doing what the right thing to do was, in obeying what God had sent him to do, because only God had the power to do the greatest harm. As he said “ I do not believe that the law of God perm...