It has always been the dream of philosophers and philanthropists to reach the outmost perfect form of justice. However, till now, we cannot tell if such a thing is possible.
Justice is a virtue
Platoon said that justice, if it is the political community’s ideal, must also be a moral virtue in every individual. Against those who believe that no one makes the choice of being just and that justice as a virtue does not exist, he shows that the educational role of raising everyone up to that supreme virtue, that involves both wisdom courage, and temperance.
It is true that man tend to acquire more than others without deserving it : if, like Gyges, we found a ring that would make us invisible, we would do the worst things. But Gyges was a simple shepherd with no proper education, and who lived outside the city, and the politics’ hypocrisy, is what made him better, by acquiring that virtue instead of egoism.
Is the equality in rights enough to guarantee a fair society ?
Law guarantees the rights of everyone, and defines their duties. The democratic systems have started by stating that there are fixed and universal laws : such as human rights, or as Rousseau says, the natural rights. The extents of rights are getting even bigger and larger. For instance, the global wealth, since it is a common property shall be equally shared by everyone.
In democracy, some minorities are systematically ignored, since the majority decides of the laws that must be followed : giving equal rights to everyone. John Rawls tolerates inequalities in laws, on the condition that these inequalities help the poor. This means that no law is universal, since some will not have the same rights as others.
