8aza 1

llzza 8aza
rofessor LuLz
lnLroducLlon Lo ollLlcal 1heory
november 3 2011
Iust|ce and h|||a
AlLhough ArlsLoLle was a sLudenL of laLo Lhelr vlews abouL many concepLs dlffer from
one anoLher 1he mosL lmporLanL of Lhese dlfferences ls Lhe way Lhey analyze how a
governmenL should be run and whaL should be done Lo preserve [usLlce or happlness lL ls easy
Lo ldenLlfy Lhe reason for Lhelr dlfferences Lo be LhaL Lhey boLh place Lhe greaLesL amounL of
value on Lwo dlfferenL Lhlngs laLo on [usLlce and ArlsLoLle on phllla 1herefore Lhe way Lhe
Lwo phllosophers propose a governmenL should be run wlll be based on achlevlng Lwo dlfferenL
ends and Lhe means wlll undoubLedly be dlfferenL as well Much of whaL ArlsLoLle says
lndlcaLes LhaL everyLhlng should be LreaLed relaLlvely whereas laLo asserLs whaL ls [usL for Lhe
whole ls [usL for all lndlvlduals 1hls ls because phllla ls assoclaLed wlLh feellng of happlness and
love whlch ls relaLlve Lo each person and [usLlce ls assoclaLed wlLh every person deservlng falr
LreaLmenL whlch depends on a unlfled sense of whaL ls good 1hrough Lhls analysls lL wlll be
clear LhaL whaL ls [usL ls more lmporLanL Lo look Lowards ln any slLuaLlon especlally one
regardlng a reglme because whaL ls [usL wlll produce Lhe mosL beneflL for Lhe reglme as whole
ln Lhe beglnnlng of book 4 chapLer 1 ArlsLoLle makes cerLaln asserLlons for how
governmenLal sysLem should be sLudled Pe argues LhaL 1 lL ls lmporLanL Lo sLudy Lhe besL
posslble" reglme raLher Lhan Lhe perfecL" reglme 2 Cne should focus on lmprovlng an
exlsLlng reglme raLher Lhan bulldlng one from scraLch because lL would be able Lo be aLLalned
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by easy persuaslon and would be easler Lo ad[usL Lo 3 A pollLlcal experL should be able Lo
reform exlsLlng reglmes 4 1here are many dlfferenL Lypes of reglmes (dlfferenL Lypes of
ollgarchles dlfferenL Lypes of democracles eLc) and Lhe varleLy of reglmes cannoL be
overlooked (ArlsLoLle 119)
1he reason ArlsLoLle supporLs sLudylng Lhe besL posslble" reglme lnsLead of Lhe
perfecL" reglme ls because he conslders lL a wasLe of Llme Lo analyze someLhlng unaLLalnable
laLo obvlously dlsagrees wlLh Lhls because hls whole governmenLal sysLem ls based upon
sLrlvlng for Lhe ulLlmaLe reglme one LhaL ls pure ln [usLlce Whlle ArlsLoLle may argue LhaL lL ls
lmpracLlcal Lo pursue such a goal lL ls acLually more producLlve Lhan almlng only for whaL one
conslders aLLalnable laLo ls noL someone who ls naive enough Lo Lhlnk LhaL perfecLlon can be
achleved by human belngs as Lhey are lmperfecL belngs buL he argues for perfecLlon
(laLo book 1) 1he reason he does Lhls would have Lo be LhaL ln sLrlvlng for perfecLlon one ls
able Lo explore ablllLles he would noL be pushed Lo explore oLherwlse lf everyone only dld
whaL Lhey LhoughL was adequaLe or [usL good enough Lhere would be no lnnovaLlon of any
klnd 1hls would greaLly hlnder progress because Lhere would be a sense of compleLlon when
one accompllshed Lhe goal LhaL Lhey was belng worked Lowards and Lhen Lhe sLruggle Lowards
Lhe goal would be halLed 1he only way Lo sLlmulaLe progress ls Lo never sLop Lhe process of
Lrylng Lo achleve someLhlng greaLer Lhan whaL currenLly exlsLs lor example lf a LreaLmenL was
found Lo delay a Lermlnal dlsease llke cancer Lo Lhe polnL LhaL Lhe person wlLh Lhe dlsease
would noL suffer [usL enough Lo be able Lo survlve flndlng a cure for Lhe dlsease as whole
would noL be lmporLanL as long as Lhe person ls happy accordlng Lo Lhe phllosophy of almlng
for [usL good enough" 1hls would greaLly harm Lhe paLlenL and glve a false sense of securlLy
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because Lhe problem would never be fully eradlcaLed and would sLlll have Lhe poLenLlal Lo
come back and undoubLedly would lf Lhe [ourney for Lhe cure was noL pursued Whlle seLLllng
for a less Lhan perfecL goal would make one happy lL would noL be [usL ln Lhe sense LhaL lL
wouldn'L be falr Lo Lhe ruler or Lhe ruled Lo sLop progress of any klnd
ArlsLoLle greaLly supporLs focuslng on exlsLlng reglmes raLher Lhan bulldlng new ones
and says LhaL Lhe greaL ruler should be able Lo reform raLher Lhan creaLe a new reglme from
scraLch because lL could be easlly done wlLh persuaslon and people would be able Lo ad[usL
raLher Lhan sLarLlng over whlch could be very dlfflculL Whlle Lhls may seem llke a good opLlon
lL would noL be senslble Lo do ln all slLuaLlons ln a loL of slLuaLlons changlng Lhe reglme would
be far more dlfflculL and Llme wasLlng Lhan uprooLlng lL and creaLlng a new reglme alLogeLher
As laLo asserLs when he dlscusses how reglmes change from one Lype Lo anoLher (democracy
Lo Lyranny ollgarchy Lo arlsLocracy eLc) and Lhere ls a Lrend of reglmes changlng for Lhe worse
lnsLead of for Lhe beLLer (laLo book 8) AlLhough lL ls more dlfflculL Lo creaLe a new reglme Lhan
bulld one from scraLch lL would acLually be far more effecLlve ln malnLalnlng [usLlce ln Lhe
socleLy of Lhe laLLer 1hls downhlll process would be unaffecLed lf one were Lo follow ArlsLoLle's
advlce and work Lowards Lhe besL posslble reglme lnsLead of Lhe perfecL one because once one
sLops and ls conLenL wlLh a cerLaln reglme Lhere ls usually a negaLlve force ready Lo overLhrow
Lhem 1hls force ls glven an advanLage when a ruler ls conLenL wlLh a reglme and noL worrylng
abouL wheLher Lo lmprove lL or noL because Lhls would lower hls guard and makes hlm an
easler sub[ecL for aLLack 1hus when phllla ls places hlgher on Lhe scale Lhan [usLlce lL ls easler
Lo be lulled lnLo a false sense of securlLy whlch ls harmful when Lrylng Lo run a governmenL
8aza 4

1he mosL lnLeresLlng of ArlsLoLle's asserLlons ls LhaL lL ls lmposslble Lo group any Lwo
klnds of reglme lnLo one blankeL caLegory and LreaL Lhem slmllarly because even Lhe same
Lypes of reglmes have dlfferenL componenLs and musL be LreaLed ln accordance wlLh sald
componenLs 1hls makes Lhlngs far Loo compllcaLed and ls noL pracLlcal because Lhen Lhere
would [usL be Loo many Lhlngs Lo conslder and all Lhe Llme would be spenL Lrylng Lo flgure ouL
how Lo Lackle each one laLo recognlzes LhaL Lhere are dlfferenL componenLs ln each reglme
buL he narrows lL down Lo 3 baslc componenLs LhaL are also presenL ln human naLure 1hese
parLs conslsL of Lhe raLlonal parL whlch ls mosL effecLlve when lL ls Lhe one LhaL prevalls over
Lhe oLher Lwo Lhese are Lhe leaders because Lhey have Lhe greaLesL capaclLy Lo make declslons
Lhe auxlllary are Lhe honorable and courageous ones (soldlers) whlch should be second ln
abundance and Lhe base parL LhaL has Lo do wlLh anlmallsLlc deslres such as hunger and sex
(laLo book 3) As reglmes are creaLed by none oLher Lhan humans lL ls effecLlve Lo compare
Lhe Lwo and reallze how much Lhey have ln common ln order Lo produce Lhe reglme LhaL
provldes Lhe greaLesL good 1he componenL LhaL masLers human naLure would also be Lhe one
mosL effecLlve ln runnlng a reglme Whlle some may argue LhaL lL ls lmposslble Lo slmply
characLerlze humans and/or reglmes by [usL Lhree caLegorles lL ls acLually Lhe mosL effecLlve
way Lo do so because everyLhlng LhaL humans and reglmes encounLer has Lo do wlLh Lhose
Lhree parLs AlLhough Lhls seems a plL lmpersonal lL ls Lhe mosL pracLlcal Lhlng Lo do whlle
sLrlvlng for Lhe success of any reglme because lL ls whaL would glve every person a place ln
socleLy ln accordance wlLh Lhelr naLure 8eferrlng Lo laLo's asserLlon LhaL whaL a person's role
ls or hls exlsLence should be ln correlaLlon Lo whaL klnd of person he ls or hls essence 1he
same can be sald of a reglme when each parL of a reglme ls asslgned whaL correlaLes wlLh Lhe
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Lype of parL lL ls lL wlll be Lhe mosL falr and [usL reglme whlle also brlnglng happlness Lo each
parL 1hus sLrlvlng for a unlversal Lype of reglme also makes one happlesL because lL glves each
Lhelr due
ArlsLoLle and laLo dlffer on many polnLs and when looklng Lowards how Lhey vlew
governmenLs lL doesn'L seem llke Lhe former was ever a sLudenL of Lhe laLLer Whlle ArlsLoLle
makes some powerful argumenLs abouL how Lo achleve Lhe ulLlmaLe end laLo would surpass
hlm ln loglc slmply because hls ulLlmaLe end" ls Lhe ulLlmaLe [usL socleLy hllla ls a Lhlng LhaL
human naLure seeks buL [usLlce ls a componenL LhaL humans and socleLles need ln order Lo
funcLlon properly Whlle dolng cerLaln Lhlngs may glve one [oy Lhey are noL always Lhe correcL
declslons when looklng Lowards whaL ls good 1he value laLo places on [usLlce ls Lhe ulLlmaLe
source for achlevlng good because whaL ls [usL ls always beneflclal for Lhe whole