The justice definition given by Aristotle in “Nicomachean Ethics” is simple, but accurate and profound. A person behaves in accordance to justice only if he has “an habitual disposition to render to each person his due.”
The definition demands giving consistently and regularly to each person his due, not only occasionally, not only from time to time.
Aristotle’s predecessors such as Socrates (469-399) had not been able to come up with such a complete definition. Despite his focus on self-examination and introspection, Socrates had failed to give a precise meaning to the concept of justice.
He had talked about the need of “knowing oneself” in order to “lead an examined life” as prerequisites to happiness, but in no way had he provided practical advice about justice.
Instead of concentrating on essential features (as Aristotle had done), Socrates had focused on the method. By means of debates, he had tried to identify the nature of justice and ethics, but with little success.
Socrates had theorized that ignorance is the main cause of injustice, but without giving any proof for his statement; in fact Socrates had just made up the link between ignorance and lack of justice.
It only takes a second to reveal the falsehood of Socrates’s theory. Look at history and you’ll find thousands of examples proving that injustices and abuses are frequently committed in full knowledge of their dire consequences.
Thus, it is no wonder that Socrates’ ideas about justice have made zero impact on later generations. If anything, they have confused people and led them in the wrong direction.
In contrast, Aristotle’s theory of justice has shaped Western civilization. A definition of justice similar to Aristotle’s was coined by Ancient Roman jurists and constitutes the backbone of modern legal systems.
Aristotle’s theory of justice compared to Cicero’s
The Roman jurist and senator Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC) believed in the existence of natural law, a universal set of moral principles inherent in human nature and common to all peoples on earth.
Cicero argued that fundamental laws are discoverable by all men through reason. He asked to applied them universally to all human beings because they form the basis of justice.
Like Aristotle, Cicero connected justice with virtue. He saw justice as an essential moral virtue that goes hand in hand with wisdom, courage, and temperance.
Cicero also underlined the need of steadiness in practising the virtue of justice. Unless justice is a continuous part of one’s moral character, one should not regard that person as just.
What does justice consist of specifically? Aristotle had not made reference to natural law, but the universality requirement was implicit in his definition.
Cicero did link his definition of justice to natural law. In his eyes, just human laws should reflect natural law. When laws or court decisions deviate from natural law, they are unjust and should be rejected and condemned.
Reception of Aristotle’s theory of justice
Just as Aristotle had done, Cicero employed the concept of equity, which allows a judge or jury to deviating from the letter of the law if its application would lead of a disproportionate or unjust outcome. Cicero asked judges to consider equity in their court decisions.
In contrast to Aristotle, Cicero did not consider “distributive justice” as a real form of justice. The idea of having the rulers take property away from person A to give it to person B did not make any sense in the eyes of Ancient Roman jurists.
Cicero defined a just society as one in which individuals do not infringe the rights and dignity of others. His definition rests on the assumption that the institutions in society are promoting fairness, equity, and the common good.
From where had Cicero drawn his concept of justice? If not directly from Aristotle’s writings, he had been influenced in an indirect manner by them.
Aristotle’s indirect influence had taken place through Stoic philosophers and their recommendations to live according to nature and reason. For all practical purposes, Ancient Greek and Roman Stoics had been relaying Aristotle’s concept of justice.
If you are interested in applying Aristotle’s principles every day to make better choices, I recommend you my book titled “Thriving in difficult times.”
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