Comments Elsewhere

Stefan:

Also, “rain falls on the just and unjust alike”. Many evil autocrats and murderers have also led long, satisfying lives and then died wealthy and with their family as well.

Well, this presupposes that you can give some kind of account of what a “satisfying” life is without making reference to terms like justice, kindness, moderation, etc. If by “satisfying” you mean that they felt pleased with it on reflection, then I’m sure this is true. But if by satisfying you mean something more like a life that meets the criteria for having lived a good life, then it’s not at all clear that it’s true.

If it’s just a matter of felt contentment, then it still may very well be the case that being a tyrant is its own punishment — that it is, as Plato claims, the most miserable kind of life. If it’s a matter of living a life that’s fulfilling in some more objective sense, then it’s not clear that any tyrants have ever enjoyed this.