What is Justice?

In our class discussion on Plato’s Republic, we were presented with the task of defining justice. In the book, there is an argument between Socrates and Thrasymachus. Thrasymachus claims that justice is nothing more than "the advantage of the stronger." This indicates that justice is the way in which the strong make the weak work in favor of themselves. An example of this that is prevalent in today’s world would be politicians. In positions of power, they can pass laws in favor of themselves that are a physical form of “justice,” and this can lead to corruption, evidenced by the state of many of the world’s nations.

I personally do not believe that this is a good definition of justice, as I perceive justice to be independent of societal laws but rather more to do with natural law, and what is morally correct. I believe that justice is a universal concept, independent of laws or cultures. Justice, for me, mainly means respecting the rights of others. That being said, were I in possession of the invisible ring mentioned in class, I would probably do things that benefited myself (i.e. rob a bank). Even though this would not be justice in the lawful sense, it would not go too far against my moral compass because it would not be disrespecting the rights of anyone, nor would it be hurting anyone else.

            So the ultimate question becomes: is what we refer to as "justice" in our society, merely the result of a fear of punishment by laws, or is it a result of an inherent goodness present in human beings? It is my understanding that it can be both. You cannot characterize everyone, because there is both bad and good in the world.  But it is true that there are some people in the world who are genuinely unselfish and good-hearted, and do things with the sole motivation of benefiting others. This can also be said for the opposite end of the spectrum. However, it would be inaccurate to say that the great majority of us don’t have at least some regard for the law and model our actions after them.  Therefore, it can be said that justice is a result of both fear of consequences, and inherent goodness.