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"Justice belongs in the most valuable catagory [of goods]. It is the good that the happy man loves for both for its own sake and for the effects it produces." --Glaucon The Layout of the Argument Glaucon divides his opinions on the qualities of justice and unjustice into three arguments: 1. The nature and origin of justice, according to the commoner. 2. All who practice justice do so against their will. 3. The life of the unjust man is far better than the life of the just man. Glaucon's Social Contract Theory Glaucon explains how most men think that being unjust is good but suffering injustice is bad. The common man usually comes upon the following conclusion: "justice is unattainable and injustice is unavoidable." Glaucon concludes the first part with the quote, "Only those are just who lack the power to be unjust," and the story of the ring of Gyges. The Ring of Gyges The story of the ring of Gyges is an important work that supports the argument of Glaucon. Gyges was a shepherd in the kingdom of Lydia. One day, a great storm opened a chasm in the fields where Gyges' sheep were grazing. He found a dead body with a golden ring in the chasm and took it for his own. When the shepherds met with the king to talk about their flocks, he turned the stone on the ring and became invisible. Once he discovered the advantages of such a ring, he was quickly appointed one of the king's messengers, seduced the queen, killed the king, and became the new king of Lydia. The story of Gyges' ring shows that most people would commit unjust actions if they could avoid punishment. It supports Glaucon's conclusions by showing that men will be just only if constrained. People value justice for its consequences. If the consequences are removed, no one would value justice. Glaucon suggests that everyone would behave the way Gyges did.

The Comparison of Lives Glaucon compares the lives of the just man and the unjust man. Just Man: The just man should be noble and pure; he should want to be good rather than seem good. He must be stripped of all things but justice. Even though he is among the best of men, he is thought to be the worst. He lives his life as a just man, yet unjust in his reputation, for the rest of his life. Unjust Man The unjust man is like a "clever craftsman." He clearly knows the limits of his practice. He is always able to hastily cover any public mistakes that he commits, if any. He is extremely persuasive in speech. Most important of all, he appears to be just without being so. Adeimantus' Defense of Justice Adeimantus points out that the way in which people usually defend justice: they their children to be just and suggest that they really only value justice for its consequences. Socrates also answers to Glaucon's argument. He shows that being just is desirable in itself, not merely for its consequences. Therefore, that we always have a reason not merely to seem just, but to be just.