2. The Nature of Justice
• The simple meaning of justice is giving everybody his
due
• Some scholars see it as treating equals equally. This
aligns with the view of John Rawls who sees justice as
equality.
• The clarification here is that the equality in question is
ontological equality, not social equality
• For we know that all men are not equal socially,
educationally, financially, in height, in size, in weight,
etc
3. Justice: Historical Narratives
• The sophist philosopher in ancient Greece, Trasymarchus,
equated justice with “might”, saying justice was the interest
of the stronger
• According to him, “might is right”.
• Strong and powerful men in society use their might to
achieve their aim, and their actions are considered as “just”
• We know that Trasymarchus was very wrong as might is not
right
• Justice has nothing to do with might, strength or with ability
to achieve one’s aims
4. Justice: Historical Narratives Contd.
• For his part, Plato equated justice with harmony in the soul or
in the society
• This harmony results from each part of the soul or society
performing its function effectively.
• When each of these parts is performing its function
effectively, then a general harmony resulting from it is justice.
• Similarly he divided the society into three parts, namely, the
guardians(the rulers), the auxiliaries (the soldiers), and the
artisans
• When each of these classes of people performs its own
function effectively, there is a general harmony in the society.
5. Justice: Historical Narratives Contd.
• Aristotle described justice as the greatest of all
virtues and defined it as “what is lawful” again
as “what is fair and equal”
• He distinguished between Universal justice,
particular justice, remedial justice and
commercial justice
• He says anyone who has universal justice can
exercise virtue towards himself
6. Justice: Historical Narratives Contd.
• Aristotle conceived Universal justice is an
attitude of fairness towards everybody
• Particular justice has to do with particular
instances of justice
• Remedial justice has to do with fairness in
human transactions
• Commercial justice has to do with fairness in
trade, in business
