Gorgias by Plato?

Question

what was Socrates' arguement about wealth and status of a country?
Lines of arguements would work too.

Thanks :)

Answer 1

As I recollect, most of Socrates' discussion in the context of wealth has to do with its relation to what is good or not. In this he does stray to the talk of tryants and the like, so it may have to do with the status of a nation in a sense.

What he does first is draw a distinction that Aristotle later gives better names to. Some things are intrinsically good (like wealth and power) and some things are only good because they bring us other good things.

Having made that distinction, Socrates then puts forward the proposition that although there may seem to be many ways of getting something good that aren't good themselves, ones that are bad will ultimately prove to be unsuccessful... or at least more costly than beneficial.

For example, the reason most employerspays you to perform a job is that it's not something you would want to do anyway. The job is not something good, but the fact that it brings you wealth is.

On the other hand, you could try to just rob your employer and steal his wealth. This is not only not-good, it is bad. Even if you get the wealth, you have created any number of other problems for yourself. Now the person you robbed will be out to get you as well as the police. People who know you perform such acts will be loathe to be around you lest they become your next victim. And worst of all the injustice of the deed will weigh on your own soul until it is rectified, making it hard to respect yourself and perhaps endangering your afterlife.

This, Socrates argues, is why the most brutal tryant is not the most free and happy person in the land, but the least. He is in the state of the greatest injustice. Though he may have acquired some ill-gotten gains, he will have trouble enjoying them (maybe that wealth wasn't so intrinsically good after all, but an intrument to get comfort and peace) and even must fear some other, more brutal tyrant who would do the same to him.

And just as this is true for one man, so too Socrates argues that it is true for a whole nation. That's about as relevant as I can make it to your question. Maybe someone else will have better insight. Hope that helped anyway!