Throughout the years, philosophers have discussed the true meaning of justice. What does it really mean and does anyone really and truly know the meaning of the word? Two main philosophers that have debated these questions and talked of their own views of the word are Aristotle and Socrates. These two men don’t necessarily have different views of the word but rather express their views in different ways. Aristotle and Socrates are two philosophers who commonly wrote about justice. Their opinions of justice were in some ways the same but the way they went about describing their view was different. Aristotle’s views are the same Socrates’ because Socrates is Aristotle’s mentor. Aristotle looked up to Socrates and agreed with his views but wanted his own identity. He wanted to show that he wasn’t an exact replica of Socrates but rather that Socrates just had an influence over his views. Both philosophers believed that justice was the ability to be a just person.Aristotle’s stated that, “ justice is complete virtue to the highest degree because it is the complete exercise of complete virtue.” This meaning implies that one has to look at justice in an ultimate degree and not just look at it on an ordinary level. He believes that without being completely virtuous one cannot obtain complete justice. Also, Aristotle believes that justice is a state of character. This means that he thinks justice should be a part of someone and something that the person develops throughout the years. Also that a just person must behave to the best advantage of any social or political association. Which means that a just person must act in a way that will help out any friendship or religious association. Without helping a person or a group, one would indeed be hurting them in a way that maybe they can’t even see. By helping the association, the person is improving their own status and the...
