ANCIENT VIEW OF JUSTICE

1.0 Introduction
The original Greek word which has been translated into English as justice is “DIKEIOSINE” which means
righteousness rather than justice.
“The Greek word for ‘justice’ has as many senses as the English word ‘right’. It can mean
observant of custom or of duty, righteous: fair, honest, legally right, lawful; what is due to or from
a person, deserts, rights, what one ought to do. Whatever is right opposed to wrong. A proverbial
saying declared that justice is the sum of all virtue.”

Why Plato gave justice theory. (Background)

Plato was highly dissatisfied with the pathetic conditions in Athens. Plato saw in “justice” the only remedy
of saving Athens from decay and ruin, for nothing agitated him in contemporary affairs more the meddlesomeness
and political selfishness which was rampant in Athens in particular and in the entire Greek world in general. In
additional, sophistic teaching of the ethics of self-satisfaction also induced the citizens to capture the office of the
state for their own self and purpose and eventually divided Athens in two hostile camps of rich and poor, oppressor
and oppressed. Evidently these two factors meddlesomeness and excessive individualism became main target of
Plato’s attack. The attack came in the form of the construction of an ideal society in which ‘justice’ reigned
supreme, since Plato found in justice the remedy for curing these evils.

Plato: Inspired from Socrates:

The chief source of inspiration for Plato was Socrates. One of the most important questions of Socrates, was
about the nature of justice. To both Plato and Aristotle, justice meant goodness as well as willingness to obey
laws. After Socrates, Plato, also regarded justice as the true principle of social life. And he has named his most
important work. Republic, as a discussion on justice.
Dr. Barker, therefore, has pointed out that “Justice is the hinge of his thought. (Barker, 1952).

Republic or “Concerning Justice”:

Republic was given a subtitle title “concerning justice”. This establishes the extraordinary importance Plato
gives to justice. So in justice, Plato found the only remedy for curing its beloved Athens. Nothing agitated his
mind more than meddlesomeness and political selfishness which reigned in Athens in those days.
Baker says, “Ignorant as to Plato the special curse of democracy”
The Concept of Justice According to Cephalus
Cephalus is the speaker who first uses the words of just and injustice in his chant with Socrates. Cephalus’
concept was “justice is to pay his debts both to God and to the society and speak the truth”.
In reply Socrates offers his counter example of the friend gone mad who returns to reclaim his weapons.
Returning the borrowed weapons does count as delivering what is owned but cannot count as the right or just
action to perform. So that Cephalus would not give that weapon and if he gives that weapon he would misuse that
weapon. In order to avoid that situation, Cephalus was compelled to lie and would not give back weapons what
Cephalus borrowed from him. According to Socrates justice means to do our duty with right action.

The Concept of Justice of Polemarchus:

“According to Polemarchus, Justice is helping friends and harming enemies. Polemarchus is the son of
Cephalus, who takes over his father’s definition and improves on it
The definition stands a better chance of telling us something essential about justice.
For Polemarchus, justice is helping the good and harming the enemy. Socrates criticized against this
concept and replied that, Polemarchus is not clear of the word friend and enemy. And also the appearance
is often deceptive. One may be friend but in actual he may be enemy. One can harm the friends and make
the wicked as friend one can be mistaken a wicked as friend and friend as a wicked may be both of them
are good according to Socrates. Also even harming the enemy cannot be labelled as justice.

Tharamachus, Justice as the Advantage of the Stronger

For Tharamachus, “justice or right is nothing but holding power in any state to any actions” or “Justice
is the interest of the stronger” ruling party right and wrong don’t have meaning at all. Ruler imposes ‘his
rights’ by sheer force .Ruler is precisely the man who has the will and power to do well, himself and his
friends and harm his enemies. In other words, might is right.
He claims that Injustice is better than justice as it brings happiness, wisdom ad strength.
Socrates says, if the pursuit of self-interest is justice then a ruler may obey it or disobey it whenever he
wants. . If the stronger become ruler, he tries to satisfy their own ambitions. He never looks welfare of the state
and good condition of the people. Shepherds real concern is not for the sheep’s welfare but for their sale as meat
It is not Injustice but justice that brings happiness, wisdom and strength.
The definition of thrasmychus leads toward dictatorship.
The theory of Glaucon- Pragmatism
Justice is the child of fear and interest of weak. It is external and product of convention. It is not natural but
artificial.

Socrates sys that justice is not external but internal. It is not conventional. It is right condition of human soul. It
is demanded by human nature.

Plato theory: Analogy between the human organism and social organism.
Thus, after criticizing the conventional ideas of justice, Plato now gives us his own theory of justice.
Plato strikes an analogy between the human organism on the one hand and social organism on the other. Human
organism according to Plato contains three elements-
Reason, Spirit and Appetite.
An individual is “just” when each part of his or her soul performs its functions without interfering with those of
other elements. For example, the reason should rule on behalf of the entire soul with wisdom. The element of
spirit will sub-ordinate itself to the rule of reason. Those two elements are brought into harmony by combination
of mental and bodily training. They are set in command over the appetites which form the greater part of man's
soul. Therefore, the reason and spirit have to control these appetites which are likely to grow on the bodily
pleasures. These appetites should not be allowed, to enslave the other elements and usurp the dominion to which
they have no right. When all the three agree that among them the reason alone should rule, there is justice within
the individual.
Corresponding to these three elements in human nature there are three classes in the social organism-Philosopher
class or the ruling class which is the representative of reason; auxiliaries, a class of warriors and defenders of the
country is the representative of spirit; and the appetite instinct of the community which consists of farmers,
artisans and are the lowest rung of the ladder.
Justice is thus a sort of specialization. It is simply the will to fulfill the duties of one's station and not to meddle
with the duties of another station, and its habitation is, therefore, in the mind of every citizen who does his duties
in his appointed place. It is the original principle, laid down at the foundation of the State, "that one man should
practice one thing only and that the thing to which his nature was best adopted". True justice to Plato, therefore,
consists in the principle of non-interference. Justice, therefore, is the citizen sense of duties.
2.3 Conclusion
Justice in the soul and justice in the state are important rule to have development for our lives. If there is no
justice in the soul, justice in the state is not possible and vice versa. . Justice in the state and justice in the soul
are the inevitable part of human’s growth. The citizens need wisdom to have moral life. This wisdom is possible
only through the just city and just soul. Wisdom leads city and soul in good morality. Just city and just soul are
needed for the growth of the human development.