Plato on the Nature of Justice

the idea and concept of justice connects

social ethics to political philosophy

Nature of justice as a virtue

thought of in relation to another person, group of people,
or institutions. In terms of ethics, we may think of justice as helping us to determine
what we owe each other.

Intrumental Goods

Things that are valuable only insofar as they help us achieve
something else that is good

Intrinsic Goods

Things that are valuable purely for their own sake

Both Intrinsic & Instrumental Goods:

Things that are valuable both in
themselves and because they help us achieve other goods.

why does justic exist

Justice seems like a compromise between two lifestyles — one where we can do
whatever we want without punishment or consequences and one where we are
enslaved and unable to do whatever we want

is justice a necessay evil

If justice is a necessary evil, then we are only just insofar as we don’t harm others
out of self-interest or negligence. Thinking of justice this way is treating it as an
instrumental good

Do the benefits of immorality outweigh the benefits of morality

Perhaps if there are no punishments or consequences for unjust actions, then
we will be inclined to act unjustly.

IS justice a social contract

Now, we are left with the claim that Glaucon makes, which is: justice (and, by
extension, morality) is a compromise between the immoral and moral
lifestyles depending on the available consequences.
• Keep in mind that Glaucon defended his position by stating that one of the
benefits of morality as a compromise is that it will keep powerful people
in check

justice need to

1. determine how people are treated individually and collectively,
   2. decide who is obligated to what and through which source.
   3. make its connections to impartiality clear.
   4. require an agent (individual, collective, or institution) to alter the
   circumstances in question.

claim Glaucon makes about justice

justice (and, by
extension, morality) is a compromise between the immoral and moral
lifestyles depending on the available consequences.
• Keep in mind that Glaucon defended his position by stating that one of the
benefits of morality as a compromise is that it will keep powerful people
in check.

ideal theory

involves specifying what society should be like and
how it should operate

non-ideal theory

involves accounting for injustices that exist within
a society and how to address it in order to achieve the ideal society

rawls theory on justice is

an ideal thoery —> promoting social
contract theory through procedural justice

three types of procedural justice

Perfect procedural justice — procedure is just
• Imperfect procedural justice — procedure is likely to be just
• Pure procedural justice — procedure is just by chance

social contract

a moral system in which individuals in a society enter
into an implicit agreement over a set of rules or laws to govern them.

justice is the

frist virtue of insitiutions

rawl belives that

society works best when everyone cooperates with
each other; this will enable us to establish mutual advantage for all
involved.
• This means that society is marked by an identity of interests and a
conflict of interests.
• In order to create a just society, according to Rawls, we need a set
of principles to guide us in determining the division of the
advantages that we gain from social cooperation.

principle of juscites accourding to rawls are

determined
through the outcome of a fair agreement between everyone
involved in the decision.
• In order to determine the principles of justice, then ideally people
will make decisions about them from what he calls the original
position and behind the veil of ignorance.

origninal position

hypothetical situation (in other words, a
thought experiment) in which people make choices about the structure
of society that guarantees a fair outcome for all.
• Rawls thought…. would help us to clarify to
ourselves what we would actually accept or reject in terms of arguments
for and against particular principles of justice that are proposed.
• This is considered an instance of reflective equilibrium,

reflective equilibrium

in which
principles are mutually agreed upon through deliberation with the goal
of establishing fair ones.

veil of ignorance

must make decidions using…. to ensure we will achive fairness

an imaginary device where people have morally
arbitrary features hidden from them. This can help people make decisions
without bias in their own favor.
• Ideally, those who are deliberating about the principles of justice will make
decisions based on:
• mutual self-interest,
• a minimal sense of justice as motivation, and
• basic facts about science and human nature.

those who delibirate about the principles of justice will make decions based on

mutual self-interest,
• a minimal sense of justice as motivation, and
• basic facts about science and human nature

first principle of justice

Each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive scheme of equal
basic liberties compatible with a similar scheme of liberties for others.
Main features: liberty, equality, the maximin principle.

second principle of justice

Social and economic inequalities are arbitrary unless it is reasonable to
expect that they will work out for everyone's advantage and unless the offices
to which they attach, or from which they may be gained, are open to all.
Main features: fair and equal opportunity, the difference principle.

rawls thought that the

first principle took priority over the second principle. In the
application of the second principle, however, the requirement that positions be open
to all takes priority over ensuring that socioeconomic inequalities benefit everyone.

fairness for rawls

is relevant to justice because it involves engaging with others in the
joint activity of making decisions that everyone will agree to.

first practice

one that when all persons participate in it, they do not feel
taken advantage of or as if they have to accept illegitimate claims

just pracitce

when all participants mutually accept the principles in the
aforementioned circumstances

duty or obligation

terms of “fair play” to comply with
these practices, which is a fundamental moral notion for Rawls.•

rawls booke

justice as fairness

plato book

book 11 republic (ring of Gyges)

From Book 11 of Plato Republic

Glaucon & Adeimantus argue that justice is instrumentally valuable; that we’re
only just because we care about our image. We’re inherently self-interested and
would rather get away with being unjust while reaping the rewards of seeming just.
Justice is a compromise between just and unjust behavior.
• Socrates defends the idea that justice is both instrumentally and intrinsically
desirable; it is good in and of itself and produces good consequences. Justice is a virtue “for the city” as well as “for the individual.” The view he establishes in the
Republic is one that reads as a ‘testament to the power of contractarianism.’

Froms Rawls A Theory of Justice (Justice as Fairness)

Rawls argues for a theory of justice that is distributive and procedural as well as
one that promotes a social contract. Ideally, justice would involve deciding on a set
of basic moral rules through social cooperation.
• In order to do this, Rawls comes up with a test for determining these basic moral
rules by suggesting that we engage in decision-making from the original position
through envisioning ourselves behind a veil of ignorance while creating them. This
is supposed to put us all on equal footing with one another, so that the choices we
make are as fair as possible.
• If we are all free, equal, and rational people, then we will seek the terms that we all
can reasonably accept. This leads us to Rawls’s two principles of justice.

political ideal

Social contract theory and theories of justice originated as political theories that
eventually shifted into moral theories

A thoery of Justice

John Rawls

two principles to ensure fairness in a just society

Equal basic libitieres and difference princple

equal basic liberties

Everyone should have the same basic rights and freedoms (e.g., freedom of speech, religion).

Difference principle

inequalities in wealth and power are acceptable only if they benefit the least advantaged.