Comparison Of The Abrahamic And Platonic Religious Themes (HUM200)

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Comparison of the Abrahamic and Platonic religious themes
PLATONIC VIEW
In the contextual conversation between Plato and his henchmen Glaucon and Adeimantus, they want to understand the concept of justice. This conversation brings forth an admired perspective from Socrates, that justice is better dispensed within a wider scale than individually.
Plato's book 2 begins with the adoption of Thrasymachus's perspective about justice as a mean between the best and the worst and referred to as a social contract of the weak where men surrender to predictable coercion and come together only for defense purposes because as individuals, they are easily subdued. ‘I will tell you. We say, don't we, that there is a justice that belongs to a single man, and also one that belongs to a whole city?'(46)
Socrates is debunking both the meaning and the merits of justice. He confides in Glaucon and others that the task of demystifying justice is an enormous one and requires an intelligent and visionary person. He enlightens them to see the bigger picture and mentions that it is a gift from God to be able to decipher issues that may seem beyond human comprehension.
‘We would consider it a godsend, I think, to be allowed to identify the larger ones first, and then to examine the smaller ones to see whether they are the same' (46)
Adeimantus, unable to comprehend this aphorism, Socrates offers to explain to him that justice is two-pronged. That meant for an individual and the other one for a multitude. He further explains that there happens to be more justice in the city than in an individual because it is larger than an individual is.
In his explanation, he means that it is always important to understand the bigger concepts first before delving inwards to interpret smaller aspects of issues, then after that make a comparison of the two aspects. This context suggests referring to perfect injustice as being that which protects one's reputation against that of suffering and disrespect, which is perceived to be perfect justice. This is paradoxical.
Socrates depicts the consequences of justice and injustice on men's souls. His thoughts about the death of the human body and the reincarnation of the soul do not contrast with the Christian beliefs about eternal life or eternal retribution on the pedestal of one's goodness or wickedness. In the comparison between Christian beliefs and the Platonic viewpoint, convergence happens on the principles of life.
Socrates asserts that justice in the city precedes that of the soul. This correlation ensures that people in communities have the unity of purpose to be in their political aspirations, cultural integration, or social activities and this directly has a bearing on the character of individual citizens.
The laws are to be universal for everyone, but routine aspects are observed at an individual level. This informs the actions of society like what culture is practiced, the dressing code among different peoples, different types of food, and how they worship. This means that in the cosmos of the larger aspect, the smaller aspects are reproduced by individual training and adaptation.
The contemporary systems are thus more social than lega...