A ''classificação dos bens'' de Gláucon: Um breve estudo sobre o tema da República de Platão

Abstract

For the overwhelming majority of interpreters, the definition of Justice or the search for what it is is the main theme of Plato's Republic. This is not wrong. However, for us, it is incomplete. With the end of Book I of the Republic, the search for the definition of justice remains open. However, with Glaucon's argument, which is often referred to by commentators as “Glaucon's Challenge”, the theme of the Republic is re-established. Understanding this important passage of just two pages at the beginning of Book II of the Republic is very dear to Platonic ethics and generates the most diverse interpretations. Failure to understand this passage carefully could, in our view, compromise the real theme of the dialogue. To prevent this from happening, we have an interpretative hypothesis, which consists of demonstrating that with Glaucon's provocation, the theme of the Republic is restored, namely that Socrates will henceforth have to demonstrate how living virtuously (including: justly) leads to Happiness. In other words, the relationship between virtue, as a good, and Happiness is at stake. This hypothesis will make explicit the path that the dialog will take from then on around the discussion of Justice, helping us to understand the plot of the dialog as a whole