Justice @ Rhodes

Justice and the social structure are inherently intertwined because of the nature of man’s existence. We cannot exist outside of society, yet we cannot perfectly align our reality with any other individuals. Thus, the conflict between the individual and society, often played out as the state, is a constant thread of civilization, and the quest for justice. Plato tries to amend this using a number of techniques. First of all, he labels groups according to their usefulness to society and their supposed intrinsic nature. Although this may be convenient, it is have serious implications for social structure. Although imposing a structure on others can result in a shaping of society to the preconceived notions of the reality, it is still a structure that will not perfectly match reality, resulting in, over time a source of conflict for certain individuals. Plato then uses a noble lie to subdue said conflicts. Although there is nothing necessarily wrong with a society built upon a lie, there are some problems with the construct he creates in the first place. Plato uses assumptions made about the individual’s nature and transposes them onto society.  Such a tendency is a gross miscalculation of both the human system, and social interactions, but also is inherently dehumanizing. It seems unlikely that the nature of man can truly be discovered separate from the nature of an individual to be himself.

When we developed our own definitions of justice, I chose to focus on the role of society in defining justice.  Too often justice becomes an idea instead of a reality. When Thrasymachus says that justice is the advantage of the stronger, he is trying to enforce a realistic understanding of the implications of the idea of justice.  Although he may have an overly simple conclusion, it is important to understand that justice is inherently a social reality, not an individual problem, as it always involves the interaction of members of society.  Thus, in order for our ideas about justice to become reality, they must be a part of how we interact with others.  Rightness, equality and fairness all relate to our understandings of the realities of others to varying degrees. A man without a capacity to sympathize or empathize with others will fail to understand the injustice of a situation, while he who seeks to see both sides of an injustice will reach an equilibrium, or a rightness, with more precision.