Justice And Justice In Plato's Republic And Aristotles Politics

Both Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Politics relegate some people to exist solely as laborers, but they come to this conclusion in different ways and for fundamentally different reasons. In the Republic, the protagonist Socrates explores the idea of justice and the question of whether or not justice manifests in the same form for the individual as for the state. Socrates believes that these qualities are wholly entwined, as both the justice of the state and the justice of the individual require a balance and embodiment of certain qualities. A good society will be “wise, courageous, [and] moderate,” and all of these qualities must exist independently (Plato 427e). In his construction of an ideal city, Socrates declares that each of these

The guardians are the class responsible for ruling and warfare, the auxiliaries are the “helpers of the rulers' convictions,” and the farmers and craftsmen produce the necessities of life for themselves and those in the other classes (Plato 414b). In the ideal society of Socrates, the guardians live a highly curated existence, all aspects of their lives being carefully controlled from the moment of conception onward. Specifically, Socrates focuses heavily on their education and upbringing in order to maximize their devotion to the welfare of the state. They have no private lives, so that all of their energy and loyalty is funneled to the city. The lifestyle of the guardians must be so carefully controlled, Socrates argues, in order to create the perfect, self-perpetuating ruling class. Those outside of the ruling class, then, would lack both the natural propensity and the lifestyle and resulting mindset to be involved in politics. Politics is highly exclusive for Socrates, because politics creates and enforces the existing class structure, which allows his notion of justice to

For Aristotle, “the highest good is happiness; and that consists in the actualization and perfect practice of goodness” (Aristotle 1328a). If goodness consists in action, then one who achieves human goodness must possess a certain level of ability to plan his life, which Aristotle refers to as “the faculty of deliberation” (1260a). This type of ability to reason, however, is not a quality possessed by all, and Aristotle characterizes those who lack it as being “a slave by nature,” arguing that they must “provide bodily assistance in satisfying essential needs” (Aristotle 1254b). For these people, Aristotle argues, “slavery is the better and just condition,” because, by providing the essential needs for someone who does not possess a servile nature, they are contributing to and thereby participating in the goodness that is achieved by those who are capable of critical thought (Aristotle 1254a). Aristotle argues that human goodness is exemplified in political organization and action, which is something that only be achieved by those with the right nature. Thus, in order to maximize aggregate goodness, those with the natural propensity to reason should focus their efforts on political thought and virtuous action. Slaves and laborers must be excluded from this, because they have also become conditioned to take and act upon the orders of others. The only way for them to contribute to excellence is