Justice and Constitution: Aristotle’s Political Science and the Intelligibility of History (Arist. "EN", V, 1134a 25-1135a 8)

Abstract

In NE Book V Aristotle recognizes the condition required for the implementation of a particular kind of justice, namely, political justice (politikon dikaion): that condition is a form of government (politeia). Central to the point of Aristotle’s comparising politeia and political justice is the intelligibility of political justice (and of politeia): political justice becomes intelligible in that it departs from absolute justice, in the same way as forms of government deviate from the ideal one i.e. the best form.

Keywords

• aristotele
• giusto politico
• costituzione
• legge
• intelligibilità