Mankind censure injustice fearing that they may be the victims of it, and not because they shrink from committing it.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- People condemn injustice primarily because they fear being victims, not because they reject the act itself.
- In plain terms
- People hate injustice because they fear it happening to them.
- What can you take from it?
- Fear of victimization drives moral condemnation more than principle.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do you oppose wrong only to avoid it?
Another view
It ignores cases where people oppose injustice despite safety.
More from Plato
When there is an income tax, the just man will pay more and the unjust less on the same amount of income.
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