Western Political thought. Social Sciences. Term Paper

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Western Political Thought
What is justice?
From the western thought perspective, justice is regarded as one of the more crucial political and moral concepts. A “just” person refers to an individual who makes morally right choices and is fair to everyone. The nature of justice can also be understood as both an appealing attribute of a political society and a character’s moral virtue. This paper will focus on the conception of justice by Plato and Aristotle. According to Plato, the ideal republic is one that seeks justice, which is the benefit or interest of the ruled (Lecture Notes). Justice encourages social order, and it involves different parts performing their specific roles without affecting the proper working of other parts (Plato, Justice). On the other hand, Aristotle considers justice as being fair and lawful. Specifically, fairness means equitable distribution of resources and correcting anything that is not equitable.
How Is Power Conceptualized, and Who Has It?
Power from a western concept means having the ability to influence and control others and even the decisions made. Plato defines power as the basis of right. The people who have the power are monarchs who have a divine responsibility to govern people with either positive or negative methods (Plato). Plato considers the rulers as philosopher-kings who have wisdom and can govern or create an ordered state. The foundation of the concept of power is that it is a tool that is used to share resources with those who do not have. It also leads to dependency by the poor or powerless on those who have the authority (Kapp 42). In ancient society, power was the authority that originated from social relations, and it had a transformative impact on society since it entails protecting the vulnerable persons and those who were powerless.
Power is given to the leader by the citizens so that it is legitimate, but at times it can be seen as an evil tool when the powerful make decisions that benefit them rather than the society as a whole. This has been a reason why Plato’s conception of power and leadership is that it encourages tyranny since he considers a change, conflict, and stability as a threat to the rulers (Lecture Notes). Furthermore, Aristotle affirms the person who controls the resources has political power, and they can influence the powerless to act as their instruments (Kapp, 52). In this case, power is a factor that creates stability and is held by those who have access to the resources, and they use it to instill fear and authority on the powerless.
What Is the Standard According to Which Rulers Should Be Judged?
The aspect of democracy determines the role of the ruler and the standard at which a leader should be evaluated. While democracy asserts the protection of the minorities from vulnerabilities, Plato viewed power as a source of duty and law, and the rulers are judged based on the standards of honor and wealth (Plato). This means that a ruler has the responsibility of acting in a just way regardless of the power that he or she has. On the other hand, Aristotle believes that rules will be judged based on how they use their power and if the result leads to pleasures or pain. ...