The Concept of Justice - Essay Example

Plato’s “Republic The Philosophical Tenets of Justice Justice is an issue that has continually attracted different philosophical inclinations and much often opposite perspectives. Is it merely a convention practiced by mankind in selfish pursuit of the benefits it accrues, or is it a reality that has a defining basis and should be adopted as a matter of principle regardless of the outcomes? Critical philosophical study of the issue alongside irrefutable proof leads to the conclusion that justice has an absolute reality as well as its own benevolence and should be pursued regardless of the consequences. Through an objective study of Plato’s “Republic” this philosophical position can be defended adequately. A background of the text is first important in order for one to understand the different perspectives from which justice can be viewed. Glaucon argues that justice is pursued by man against his will - a matter of necessity rather than for the goodness of it1. He also thinks that the just man would pursue injustice were he to be immune to the consequences and besides, he ultimately ends up the happier of the two. Glaucon asks Socrates to defend the view that justice is better than injustice (358b-362d). Adeimantus also requires of Socrates to demonstrate that there is value to justice, not just a utility for man to gain certain advantages in society. To answer this, Socrates uses an analogy of justice in the city to portray justice in a person. He argues that a just man does not differ in any way from a just city (435b). Justice is the result of a soul that is well ordered, hence Plato creates three classes of people present in his model city Kallipolis; producers, guardians and rulers. In a just city, these three classes of people are required to display certain virtues that all come into action to ensure that justice prevails in the city: the rulers should create just laws, the soldiers carry out the orders of the rulers and the producers stay in obedience of this authority. The ruler class is supposed to have wisdom to ensure that the entire city operates on the same basis. This wisdom is supposed to trickle down from the governing (ruling) class onto the entire population of the city. It ensures that the city has good judgment (428d). The soldier’s role is to carry out the orders of the rulers and as such is supposed to be well educated to understand the laws as much as possible. Through this, their role in ensuring justice can not be eroded by such things as pleasure, pain, fear and desire (430a). They gain this kind of focus through the virtue of courage and thus help in maintaining justice within the city. The producers on the other hand are required to obey authority. For this to happen, the producers are supposed to possess the virtue of moderation which creates harmony, unanimity and agreement amongst all members of the city. The issue of who is to lead is settled this way and everybody works together thus ensuring justice. Moderation can not be divorced from justice as it enables everybody to play their particular role and “everyone must practice one of the occupations for which he is naturally suited.” (433a). The three classes of people that work harmoniously to ensure justice in the city now lead us to what justice should be in the human soul. The human soul has more than one single driving force; people are indecisive when making some choices, some part of their soul stops them from pursuing their desires and thus there is internal conflict. The part of the soul that is calculative and questions the other part is the rational part of the soul. Then there is the irrational part which is lustful and appetitive (439d). Emotions are created by the part of the soul that is spirited, which in times of internal conflict may ally the rational part against the irrational part of the soul thus the person ends up making a rational decision. The analogy between the city and the person is then clear; that the rational part of the soul corresponds to the rulers while the guardians are the spirited part. The rational part of the soul is just as wise as the rulers in the city and practices guidance of the entire soul. The spirited part acts in sync with the rational part just as the soldiers carry out orders on behalf of the rulers (441e). These two parts of the soul act in harmony to regulate the appetitive part of the soul (the ones who are ruled in the city) and prevent it from taking control of the body (442a). Justice prevails in the city when the rulers and soldiers guide the producers, and in the same way justice in a person occurs when the rational part and the spirited part of the soul rule over the appetitive part. Without this harmony justice in a city is not practical, there would absolutely be chaos and fighting. Likewise, without the order and role play in the soul, justice can not be present in a person. Plato thus shows that justice is not a habit that can be picked and practiced for personal gain. It is the result of a balanced soul- it is absolute and one can not have levels of it. One is either just or unjust regardless of the consequences. It has definite goodness as it occurs after the rational part has overcome the appetitive part with the aid of the spirited part of the soul. This value of benevolence is especially important because without the reasoning part reigning on the appetitive part, one would pursue wild desires and end up being unjust. A person is considered just when the three parts of the soul are functioning as explained, and the other cardinal virtues present themselves in him. The unjust person lacks moderation, wisdom and courage. With the discussion showing what justice is, Socrates then proceeds to argue as to why a person should be just over being unjust. A tyrant is left in horrid pains and pangs, engaging in a lifestyle that leaves him physically and mentally affected, and never tastes true freedom and friendship. As a result just kings are philosopher kings who are wise enough to distinguish between justice and injustice. At one point, Glaucon concludes that in the proposed city the unjust people would be much happier than the just people. For this, Socrates is of the view that only pleasures approved by wisdom and reason lovers are truest. Philosophical pleasure is the truest as any other pleasure is experienced by people in a neutral state that is free of pain (327a). An unjust form of government is what results in corruption due to power, thus leading to timocracy, oligarchy, democracy and tyranny. Timocracy is similar to a military dictatorship while oligarchy is the rule by a few rich people who are only interested in money. The wide gap between the poor and the rich creates criminals and beggars in the society. A democratic government may allow unfit and sectarian individuals to take control of leadership hence ruin the society As this socioeconomic divide grows, so do tensions between social classes. Conflicts arising due tensions in an oligarchy are the reason a democracy develops. Poor citizens overthrow the oligarchs and choose one person to protect their interests, who eventually becomes tyrannical. Tyranny is the worst form of government, where the desires of a ruler are the law of the land and their power is not checked. Three socioeconomic classes emerge: a dominating class, elites and the commoners. Tensions eventually arise among the dominating class, the elites and the commoners. The commoners then place all powers in one person who then becomes a tyrant. All these forms of government arise as a result of failed justice in individuals. The best leader proposed is the philosophical leader who is the only one capable of knowing what is just. Corruption due to power would not happen in a just leader as the rational part would prevail upon the selfish desires (422e-423a). The question of practicality of a just society is solved through several strategies including abolition of riches amongst the guardians and eradication of nepotism through disruption of families as we know them. The population is made stable through eugenics and family links are spread throughout the city. The youth are educated in a manner that improves them in line with the city’s good. CONCLUSION Justice is a virtue that bears benevolence and is an absolute reality. Just as a city should have wise rulers, courageous soldiers and moderate producers in order for justice to prevail, so is a person’s soul divided into the rational part, the spirited part and the appetitive part. The rational part and the spirited part work in harmony to prevail upon the appetitive part so that justice is exhibited in a person. Hence justice is a result of a balanced and harmonious state of the soul thus it is not something that can be picked and used for its advantages. People should be just because it produces true pleasure as opposed to pleasure due to that arising from a neutral state due to lack of pain. Injustice results in timocratic, oligarchic democratic and tyrannical governments all of which are flawed. Justice can be practically achieved through abolition of focus on riches, eradication of nepotism and education based on imparting good into the youths in line with the society’s good. Work Cited Plato, Republic, tr. G.M.A Grube, Marc Stier, Web. 2011 July 22. Read More