PLATO: “I declare that justice is nothing else than that which is advantageous to the
stronger. It follows that the just man is he who obeys the laws of the governing group;
the unjust man disregards them. But, the subject who obeys hurts himself and promotes
the good of others. It pays, therefore, to act unjustly.”
1. How did Plato define justice?
2. Who did Plato regard as a “just man”?
3. Why, according to Plato was it better to act unjustly?
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS: “Law aids and protects freedom and is supported by four
characteristics: law is reasonable; law contributes to the common good; law must be
made by a competent authority; and, law must be promulgated.”
1. What is at the root of law as seen by St. Thomas Aquinas?
2. Are these characteristics of law applicable to our society today? Why or why not?
3. How would St. Thomas Aquinas define justice?
HOBBES: “The only way to prevent men from killing each other is to have an absolute
submission to a sovereign by which all men surrender their natural liberty in order to
obtain peace and security. The only limit to this surrender is that the sovereign cannot
threaten his citizens’ lives, for this is the reason they submitted to him in the first place to preserve themselves. Prudence is greater than liberty, for the life of man is solitary,
poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”
1. What did Hobbes believe was the primary role that government should play?
2. Why did Hobbes believe that citizens should surrender their liberty?
3. How would you describe Hobbes’ outlook on life?
HUME: “The idea of justice is artificial. Being created by society because it realizes that
man’s brain recognizes that certain principles are for his own benefit in the long run, and
then attempts to give them an independent moral reality. Government, law and justice all
exist because they work. Man invents things and after a long period of time comes to
believe that God invented them. If they were ineffective, they would be abandoned and
forgotten and no one would say they were natural law or God’s law.”
1. What did Hume say about the concept of “natural law”?
2. According to Hume, what is the origin of “justice”?
3. Why did Hume believe we have laws?