Aristotle on Justice

Aristotle's account of justice remains central to contemporary theorists; this book elucidates its historical origins and intellectual context.

Aristotle's account of justice has inspired thinkers as diverse as Thomas Aquinas and Martha Nussbaum. But although Aristotle's account remains philosophically relevant, its fourth-century BCE intellectual and institutional origins have been neglected. This book places Aristotle's notion of justice in its intellectual context.Aristotle's account of justice has inspired thinkers as diverse as Thomas Aquinas and Martha Nussbaum. Concepts such as distributive justice, equity, the common good, and the distinction between just and unjust political organizations find articulations in his writings. But although Aristotle's account of justice remains philosophically relevant, its intellectual, social, and political origins in the Mediterranean world of the fourth century BCE have often been overlooked. This book places Aristotle's account of justice in dialogue with his fourth-century intellectual colleagues such as Plato, Xenophon, and Isocrates, and allows it to be understood within the framework of fourth-century institutions as they were experienced by citizens of ancient Greek political communities. It thus provides the modern reader with the framework which Aristotle presupposed for his original work in antiquity, including the intellectual debates which formed its context.