Thrasymachus, who argued from a political realist perspective, insisted that injustice is superior to justice because it allows for the strong to dominate. He claimed that the unjust man (the Tyrant) is the happiest because he has secured the ultimate survival advantage… which is power (this is Rob’s perspective).

Socrates countered this claim by shifting the metric of success. He argued that profit isn’t about external acquisition (money, power), but internal operation. To prove that the just life is the more profitable life, Socrates introduces the Function Argument, a logical chain that connects the ability or purpose of a thing to its excellent quality.