JUSTICE IN ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHY
1.1 Introduction
Philosophical discussion about moral concept and principles emerge in the Greek
society quite early. Among the few ancient Greek philosophers whose work continue
to remain popular to modern students of moral philosophy are Socrates, Plato and
Aristotle. No ancient moral philosopher is as popular as these three. Their views have
been rejected, criticised and modified by various thinkers along the way. However,
their works continue to be read and discussed because of the depth and elegance in
what they say, and also because of the relevance to our lives today.
The concept of justice is closely associated with well-being in the work of
both Plato and Aristotle. If there is justice, there will be well-being; and if there is
injustice, there will be absence of well-being. Justice for individual well-being is one
aspect of inquiry. But then as Aristotle says that man is a political animal, so human
individuals live in polis, city-state, and therefore there is also the quest for the wellbeing
of the society at large. Thus one finds discourses of justice at two levels - first,
at the institutional level that kingdoms or nation-states are to pursue in order to obtain
justice; and second, at the individual level that each person must strive for. But not all
theories of justice undertake such a rather comprehensive approach. For example, the
idea of justice that later philosopher like John Rawls advances is rather a quest for just
principles for institutions to follow; the normative principle of justice that must apply
at the level of individual interactions is not truly the endeavour that Rawls seeks to
accomplish. This does not mean that Rawls denies the relevance of appropriating
justice in individual interactions. It is just that his concern and priorities are different.
In this chapter, the idea of justice advanced in the ancient Greek world will be
examined - particularly the views of Plato and Aristotle. The inquiry in this chapter
will recapitulate the age old ideas of justice as propounded and understood then. The
chapter will underscore how the ideas of function and well-being are woven together
as they explore the idea of justice. As it will be explored in further detail later, this is.
