Therefore, justice is: “…a habit whereby a man renders to one, ones due by a constant and perpetual will”. He defines it as that virtue that resides in the will. Thomas Aquinas Notion of Justiceįor Aquinas, justice is one of the cardinal virtues of man. For any state worth the name to exist, justice must have its place in its administrative structure. This is evident in the “ philosophy of might is right” propounded by Machiavelli.
This notion of justice as the will of the stronger has reared its ugly head into the arena of modern and contemporary political theories. Aristotle has the ingenuity of associating justice with law. The application of universal justice stems from what is lawful. Universal justice extends through the life of the people and enforces virtue which leads to the fulfillment of the goal of the state. For him, justice would be seen from the universal point of view. So any dictate coming from the master automatically becomes what is just.Ĭomprehensive Definitions of Freedom in Ethics | Notable Philosophers Aristotle’s Notion of JusticeĪristotle treats justice in book five of his Ethics and applies it in his political philosophy. And as such, they (slaves) have no sense of justice. The slave is inferior to his master both intellectually and otherwise. Here the Greeks regard themselves as the rulers and there is the distinction between the noble class and the slave. However, it should be noted that he was talking in reference to the political realism of his time. Without much ado, Thrasymachus then arrived at the conclusion that the decision of the stronger is just. It is what is advantageous to the established government”. Furthering this stand he continued, “In every city, justice is the same. According to him: “I declare that justice is nothing else than that which is advantageous to the stronger”.īy the stronger, he meant those who are able to make and enforce laws in the ways that suit their ego. Thrasymachus, a character in the book, defined justice as obeying the will of the stronger. Plato, in one of his dialogues, The Republic, tried in a dialectical manner to give a philosophical definition of justice. The Notion of Justice in Philosophy Plato’s Notion of Justice It is this state that has resulted in slavery, war, abortion, and all kinds of man’s inhumanity to man which is prevalent in contemporary society. In the course of pursuing the means to satisfying his wants, he infringes on the rights of others.
Now, this state of lack and the effort to fill it up with his wants, make him a curious and voracious being. Naturally, man is insatiable in his wants but highly limited in the means of satisfying these wants. However, the origin of justice is traceable to the nature of man. According to Bourke, “It is evident that the term justice can be dependent on the shorter Latin word ‘ jus’ which means right”. The Etymology of JusticeĮtymologically, justice is derived from the Latin word “ Justicia” which means fairness or righteousness. Moreover, it is a controversial issue, and so, different thinkers of different philosophical epochs have given it nuances of interpretations and definitions. In fact, it is as old as the existence of man as far as his relationship with one another is concerned.
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