صفحة 720 من 1391

Yes, he said, I will, to please you, since you will not let me

speak. What else would you have?

Nothing in the world, I said; and if you are so disposed I will

ask and you shall answer.

Proceed.

Then I will repeat the question which I asked before, in order

that our examination of the relative nature of justice and

injustice may be carried on regularly. A statement was made that

injustice is stronger and more powerful than justice, but now

justice, having been identified with wisdom and virtue, is easily

shown to be stronger than injustice, if injustice is ignorance;

this can no longer be questioned by any one. But I want to view

the matter, Thrasymachus, in a different way: You would not deny

that a state may be unjust and may be unjustly attempting to

enslave other states, or may have already enslaved them, and may

be holding many of them in subjection?

True, he replied; and I will add that the best and most perfectly

unjust state will be most likely to do so.