TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE……………………………………….. i
CERTIFICATION………………………………….. ii
DEDICATION……………………………………… iii
ACKNOWLEGEMENT……………………………. iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………… vi
GENERAL INTRODUCTION………………………... viii
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 THE NOTION OF
STATE AND JUSTICE…… 1
1.1 General Notion of State……………………………. 1
1.2 Notion of State in Aristotle………………………… 8
1.3 Notion and Definition of Justice…………………… 16
1.4 Kinds of Justice…………………………………... 20
1.4.1 Social Justice……………………………………… 20
1.4.2 Commutative Justice……………………………… 22
1.5 Aristotle Notion of Justice………………………… 23
CHAPTER TWO
2.0 APPLICATION OF
JUSTICE IN THE STATE.. 27
2.1 Justification of Slavery………………………….. 27
2.2 Justice vis-à-vis Types of Constitution…………… 31
2.2.1 Monarchy………………………………………… 33
2.2.1.1
Kingship……………………………………….. 33
2.2.1.2
Tyranny………………………………………… 34
2.2.2 Aristocracy……………………………………….. 36
2.2.3 Oligarchy…………………………………………. 37
2.2.4 Democracy……………………………………….. 38
2.3 The Best Justifiable and Practicable
Constitutions……................................................... 39
CHAPTER THREE
3.0 JUSTICE AND REVOLUTION IN THE STATE.. 43
3.1 Equality as Justice…………………………………… 43
3.2 Injustice as the Cause of Revolution in the
state……. 45
3.3 The role
of Education in the Application and sustenance
of Justice in the state………………… 48
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION…………. 53
4.1 Critical Evaluation………………………………. 53
4.2 Conclusion……………………………………… 58
Bibliography……………………………………………... 60
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
The
problem of the origin and harmonious organization of the state has been an age
long problem for philosophers. They have varied opinions as regards the
solution to this problem. The conventionalists and contractualists hold that
the state originated out of convention or contract between individuals or
groups.
However, Aristotle a master in ancient
philosophical thought, whose influence has always rocked the philosophical
defense of his contemporaries and successors, has it that the state is natural
to man. Also, his refutation of the conventionalist’s notion of the state led
him to redefine the state as an association of communities made up of citizens
with the aim of achieving the highest common good. Having defined the state thus, he sets
himself the task of investigating the activities of the state in order to find
out its end and goal; to find out who and who are qualified to be citizens of
the state; and if all the members of the state are qualified to enjoy the basic
individual rights in the state.
It
is in this context that he brought in the issue of justice as the central point
on which the activities of the state revolves.
Hence, I found it appropriate to treat as my project topic “Justice and
its primacy in the political philosophy of Aristotle.” As the political philosophy of Aristotle is
concerned mainly with the governmental order of the state, we shall be using
the word ‘state’ more frequent in this work.
Furthermore,
this work shall be divided into four chapters.
Chapter one will deal with the meaning and notion of state and justice
respectively, with special reference to Aristotle. Chapter two will deal with the application of
justice in the state. Since man is
naturally born in the state, there is the necessity for harmonious relationship
between members of the state. This
harmonious co-existence can only be achieved through the application of justice
in the state.
However,
in different political organization, there are different constitutions
applied. Nevertheless, the application
of justice lies in the governing principles of the constitution of that
particular state. Justice therefore
always implies “Justice for whom.” Here
Aristotle seems to make justice relative.
However, he holds that though justice is often determined by a
particular circumstance, there is on the whole a particular justice which other
relative justice of different constitutions must square up to. This is the absolute justice; that which
justifies any constitution. But since it
aims towards the common good, it is guided by law and morality. Chapter three
will concern itself with justice vis-à-vis revolution in the state. Here we shall look into the consequence of
the absence of justice in the state. And
if justice is necessary for the stability of any political organization, how do
we restore it? Moreover, since the
problem of political stability depends on good rulership, it follows that
present and future leaders must be educated and trained on the acquisition and
practice of justice. Hence the relevance
of education and political awareness towards upholding justice and stability of
government in the state. Finally, we shall end the work with chapter four which
will deal with evaluation and conclusion of all that has been said.