Book 5 / Chapter 1
Paragraph 2 - The Nature of Justice and Injustice
Explanation - Part By Part
"We see that all men mean by justice that kind of state of character which makes people disposed to do what is just and makes them act justly and wish for what is just; and similarly by injustice that state which makes them act unjustly and wish for what is unjust."
In this part, Aristotle is emphasizing that both justice and injustice are not just abstract concepts or actions but are deeply tied to a person's state of character. He is saying that being just isn't just about doing the right things occasionally; it's about having a consistent inner disposition—a character trait—that naturally inclines a person to not only act justly but also desire what is just. Similarly, injustice reflects a corrupted state of character that leads people to both act unjustly and actively want unfair or harmful outcomes. Essentially, justice and injustice are rooted in who we are, not just what we do.
"Let us too, then, lay this down as a general basis."
Aristotle is establishing a foundational principle for his discussion. He is proposing that we accept as a starting point the idea that justice and injustice are states of character. Justice inclines a person to act justly and desire what is fair, while injustice inclines a person to act unjustly and seek what is unfair. This principle will serve as the groundwork for the arguments he will build in the following sections.
"For the same is not true of the sciences and the faculties as of states of character. A faculty or a science which is one and the same is held to relate to contrary objects, but a state of character which is one of two contraries does not produce the contrary results;"
Aristotle is making a distinction here between different types of things in the human experience—specifically, between faculties or sciences (what we might call skills or knowledge) and states of character (qualities or dispositions that define who you are as a person, like being just or unjust).
He’s saying that faculties or sciences, which include things like intellectual abilities or knowledge, can deal with opposite or contrasting subjects without being contradictory. For example, the knowledge of medicine allows a doctor to understand both what promotes health and what causes illness. The same "science" (medicine) encompasses both opposites.
However, with states of character—traits like justice or injustice—it doesn’t work that way. A specific state of character leads you toward one kind of outcome or behavior, not its opposite. For instance, being in a state of health naturally leads to healthy actions—like eating well or exercising—and not to unhealthy ones. Similarly, if someone is just as a person, they will act justly and not unjustly. These states of character produce results consistent with their nature, not contradictory ones.
Essentially, Aristotle is emphasizing that character traits are singular in their effects, unlike intellectual faculties or skills, which can engage with opposites.
"e.g. as a result of health we do not do what is the opposite of healthy, but only what is healthy; for we say a man walks healthily, when he walks as a healthy man would."
Aristotle is making a comparison here to clarify his point about states of character, like justice or injustice. He’s saying that, unlike certain abilities or skills (like knowing a science or having a particular talent), states of character don’t lead to opposing results. For example, if someone possesses health, their actions will naturally reflect that health—they will do things that a healthy person would do, like walking in a manner befitting a healthy individual. Health as a "state" cannot make a person act in an unhealthy way; it only produces healthy outcomes.
So, by analogy, justice as a state of character works in the same way: a just person will act in ways that are just and aligned with what is fair, not the opposite. This reinforces the idea that justice isn’t just about knowing what’s right—it’s about being someone whose very character drives them to act rightly.