Justice and Injustice

What kind of actions are the object-matter of Justice and Injustice?

What kind of middle state is Justice?

Between what points the abstract principle of it, i.e. the Just, is the mean or middle.

• Justice is a moral state such that in consequence of it men have the capacity of doing what is just, and actually do it, and wish it.
• Injustice is a moral state such that in consequence of it men do unjustly and wish what is unjust.

The same does not hold with regard to the states of mind or body, as with regard to Sciences or Faculties.

It is thought that the same Faculty or Science embraces contraries, but a State will not

For example, in health, only the healthy acts are done, not healthy and unhealthy.

• A man walks healthily when he walks as the healthy man would.

However, from 2 contrary states the one may be frequently known from the other.

• Often, the states are known from their subject-matter

If we see how in a good state a body is, then we can also see what a bad state is, and vice versa.

• If the good state is firmness of flesh, then the bad state is flabbiness of flesh
• Whatever causes firmness of flesh is connected with the good state.

If of 2 contrary terms, one term is used in many senses, then the other term will also be used in many senses.

Justice and Injustice are used in many senses.

• But the line of demarcation between these is very fine and minute.

It commonly escapes notice that they are used, and it is not plain and manifest as where the various significations of terms are widely different.

In these last, the visible difference is great.

For instance, the word κλεὶς is used equivocally to denote:

• the bone which is under the neck of animals and
• the instrument with which people close doors.

In how many senses the term “Unjust man” used?

The following are thought of as unjust:

• he who violates the law
• he who is a grasping man
• the unequal man

So the Just man will be:

• the man who acts according to law
• the equal man

“The Just” then will be the lawful and the equal

“The Unjust” the unlawful and the unequal.

Since the Unjust man is also a grasping man, he will be so with respect to good things, but not of every kind, only those which are the subject-matter of good and bad fortune and which are in themselves always good but not always to the individual.[4]

Yet men pray for and pursue these things: this they should not do but pray that things which are in the abstract good may be so also to them, and choose what is good for themselves.

But the Unjust man does not always choose actually the greater part, but even sometimes the less; as in the case of things which are simply evil: still, since the less evil is thought to be in a manner a good and the grasping is after good, therefore even in this case he is thought to be a grasping man, i.e. one who strives for more good than fairly falls to his share: of course he is also an unequal man, this being an inclusive and common term.