Question

Read the excerpt from The Republic by Plato.

On the other hand, the men of business, stooping as they walk, and pretending not even to see those whom they have already ruined, insert their sting—that is, their money—into some one else who is not on his guard against them, and recover the parent sum many times over multiplied into a family of children: and so they make drone and pauper to abound in the State.

Yes, he said, there are plenty of them—that is certain.

The evil blazes up like a fire; and they will not extinguish it, either by restricting a man’s use of his own property, or by another remedy:

What other?

One which is the next best, and has the advantage of compelling the citizens to look to their characters:—Let there be a general rule that every one shall enter into voluntary contracts at his own risk, and there will be less of this scandalous money-making, and the evils of which we were speaking will be greatly lessened in the State.

Which claim does the speaker make in this excerpt?

Contracts pose the greatest risk to people with little money.
It is immoral for people to conduct unfair business dealings.
People do not think about those whom they have wronged.
A government is stronger when its business is run ethically.

Answer 1

The speaker claims that people do not think about those whom they have wronged and describes the negative consequences of unfair business dealings. They suggest a solution to reduce these problems.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this excerpt from Plato's The Republic, the speaker claims that people do not think about those whom they have wronged. The speaker describes how men of business insert their money into others without considering the harm they cause, resulting in the abundance of drones and paupers in the state. The speaker suggests that if there was a general rule that everyone should enter into voluntary contracts at their own risk, the scandalous money-making and the associated evils would be greatly reduced.