Justice: Ancient and Modern Perspectives

Published: Aug. 31, 2010, 11 p.m.

One of the perennial questions that vexes moral philosophers is "why be moral?" Thinkers from Ancient Greece (at least some of them), equated this question with "why be just"? In this show, we will address the answer to this question that is offered by Plato and Aristotle. Throughout the show, we will highlight similarities and differences between ancient greek conceptions of justice and morality, on the one hand, and our modern conceptions of justice and morality, on the other.  Specifically, we will explore the ancient conception that Justice is a virtue of the soul, something internal -- and contrast that with the modern view that to "seek justice" is to involve the judicial machinery of a society.