Justice Defined: Insights from Plato, Aristotle, Hayek, and Habermas

Four Theories of Justice

Plato's Conception of Justice

In opposition to the Sophists, Plato declared in Gorgias that justice is a condition of happiness. He asserted that the unjust individual cannot be happy. For Plato, the notion of justice was a central philosophical concern.

Aristotle's View on Justice

For Aristotle, justice entails giving each individual what is due to them according to law. Justice, according to him, is the virtue by which one receives what is rightfully theirs, as prescribed by law. Injustice, conversely, is when one receives the goods of another, not in accordance with the law. Aristotle related the concept of proportional justice to equality, believing that justice involves treating equals equally.

Hayek: Neoliberalism and Individual Liberty

For proponents of neoliberal liberty, independence is measured in terms of ideal property rights, as articulated by Hayek. For him, justice primarily involves equality before the law. He viewed justice as an objective reality achieved by adhering to a set of rules, akin to 'due process' in social life, free market exchange, and competition. Hayek famously considered 'social justice' an intellectually fraudulent notion that does not deserve respect, arguing it imposes specific behavioral practices on the 'Great Society'.

Habermas: Communicative Ethics and Social Critique

Jürgen Habermas was interested in constructing a form of reason that facilitates a critique of society, aiming to provide a justification for social norms and build consensus among diverse interests of individuals and groups. He proposed that the appropriate model for understanding social action is not individual action aimed at achieving specific ends, but rather an approach centered on 'communicative action' within an 'ideal speech situation,' which seeks to achieve understanding and consensus among various parts of society. Every individual operates within a living context. However, a comprehensive sociological theory cannot be reduced solely to a theory of communication; it must also incorporate a theory of the global social system.