Virtuous Living (8 of 13): Justice
by Joseph Rowlands
We now turn to virtue of Justice. Ayn Rand defines it as "the recognition of the fact that you cannot fake the character of men as you cannot fake the character of nature". The moral principle here is that men are a part of reality, and we must identify their nature just as we must identify any aspect of reality, and act accordingly.
This of course means taking into account everything you know about a person, but additionally there's one aspect of man's nature that makes him profoundly different from anything else-his moral nature. It is this moral nature that is so critical to identify, and which thoughts of Justice have always revolved around. In other words, recognizing that a man has a great memory or likes the color blue is not the critical part of Justice. Justice centers on his moral stature. Is the man virtuous? Does he seek life-affirming values? Is he a potential benefit to your life? Or is the man evil? Does he seek to harm others? Does he seek values that are destructive to his own life? Does he act on irrational premises? Is he dishonest?
This information is important because of its ability to show the motivations of the other person. By identifying the moral nature of another human, you can identify whether he is a friend or enemy. Will he likely be a benefit to your life, or a threat to it? Are his actions self-destructive, or his he someone you'd want to do business with? Is the person someone you will trust your life or property to?
Now again, we ask what values does this virtue attempt to gain and/or keep? The scope is pretty large here as well. Justice is required to gain and/or keep all values within a social context. Most important of these is the values that involve other people. This means wealth that you invest, friendships and romances, time and energy put into joint projects, etc.
So how do we act accordingly? The Passive form Justice is similar to that of rationality. It holds that you should never ignore facts of reality. If the person is a compulsive liar, don't trust them. If they're irresponsible, don't invest in their business. If they're malicious, don't interact with them.
But what about the flip side of Justice? How do you treat the good? Again, the Passive form is in terms of a limit. Don't ignore the good deeds of others, especially when they benefit you. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. Don't get angry and yell at a loved one. Don't treat a better man equal to a lesser man. The Passive form says to never benefit evil, and never punish the good.
The Active form is very different. Like rationality, it says you should improve your ability to identify the nature of men. Work at understanding them. Integrate the knowledge you have. Try to understand their motivations. Try to understand morality, so you can properly judge what you do know. In all these ways, you improve your ability to see the nature of men, and to treat them accordingly.
But there's more. The Active form suggests that you value proper treatment of man according to his moral nature. This is when the term 'justice' is used as a value. Men should be treated according to their nature, and Justice is an attempt to make this the rule, instead of the exception. To not only have yourself act according to this nature, but to seek the same treatment from other people. Remember, it's the moral principle that men should be treated according to their nature.
In other words, you don't stop at treating others how they should be treated. You try to get other people as well. If a man has benefited your life greatly, you would want everyone to treat him well. You should be angered or upset if other people treat him poorly. Similarly, if a man is a threat to your life, you don't want other people pampering him and treating him well. So the Active form of Justice involves trying to make the application of this virtue universal. This is an attempt to create a just environment. This is based on the same moral principle. That men should be treated according to their nature.
Concrete examples of justice are also varied. You may talk to someone about their actions, determining if they knew they had screwed up, and letting them know you don't agree. It can mean going out and thanking someone who's benefited you, maybe with dinner or a gift. It can mean letting others know that your relative never pays his debts. It can mean telling your lover how much she means to you.
Justice is a huge topic, so I'll end it on that note.
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