GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Looking back into the history of humankind, the problem of justice seems to be a perennial one. From the ancient period up to date, philosophers have taken keen interest to elaborate on this concept of justice. The present contemporary society is not left out as concerns about justice continues to heightened each day despite the evolution and development of human societies. From almost all societies, the general cry is that of peace and justice.[1]One among the ancient philosophers, whose thoughts on justice stands out is Plato who in his masterpiece The Republic expounded on the question of justice. He did not just define what justice is, but he sought to unveil its nature and how individuals and societies can actually achieve it.

Plato the Athenian philosopher was born in 428-427 BCE and died at the age of eighty.[2] The greatest influence in the life of Plato was his teacher Socrates. It is worth noting that the era which Plato lived was characterized with many acts of injustice. The death of Socrates is that which sparked up Plato to focus his attention on politics thus leading him to write about justice.[3]

Definition of key terms

The definition of justice is broad and varies. Different thinkers over time have made several attempts to understand the nature of justice and what it is all about. Gautam Buddha’s concept of justice is not confined to respecting the law; it also justifies a revolutionary concept of disobedience or defying law, if the law is evil.[4] John Rawls propounds the idea of justice as fairness.[5]The interpretation and definition of justice, one could say is being influenced by the context in which the one defining is found. Justice in the broadest sense irrespective to all understandings is the principle that people receive that which they deserve implying fairness.[6] The difficulty in the defining the concept of justice is also seen in The Republic as the character makes several attempts to define. In the text, justice is understood as “Saying the truth and paying some one’s debt”.[7] Justice is also seen as “giving to each man what is proper to him”.[8] “And still in the Republic justice is defined as the interest of the stronger party”.[9] We can see from the definition of justice that the concept is relative in understanding. Despite the diverse understandings of what justice is all about, we can conclude that justice implies equity in all aspects of life. Equity here means that persons are treated and rewarded based on what they deserve. For example, a crippled man should not be put on the same race course with a man who has full capability.

Harmony simply is a situation in which people agree with each other, or when things seem right and suitable together.[10] In this text, harmony is understood as a situation where in different state institutions function together with the aim of providing justice to the citizens. Though the functions of those institutions may differ, they are all geared towards a single aim which is to provide justice to the citizens. In the state, the limitation of a particular institution may restrain the harmonious flow of justice since the institutions are interconnected. And institution is an established organization or corporation.[11] There exist formal and informal institutions. In the state, institutions are aimed at providing services to the citizens. The state cannot exist without institutions. In fact, what define the state are the institutions. The condition of state institutions, defines the wellbeing of the state. If institutions are plagued with challenges, the state as a whole suffers.

Justice is a virtue which each and every person quest for. It is something which man needs naturally. In fact, the human being is very sensitive to this virtue so much so that their interactions with each other in the society are strictly guided by the principles of justice. From the commoner to the most established person in the society, justice is being sought for and it’s an essential need. A.J.W Taylor, observe that “To those whose daily work brings them in contact with the suffering brought either by diverse circumstances or by malevolence, it might seem obvious to construe justice as a basic human need. Indeed, the classical Greek philosopher regarded justice as one of the foremost virtue alongside courage, prudence and temperance and the early Christian fathers endorsed such virtues as being universally applicable’’.[12]

The aim of the study

So the aim of this work is to seek why human beings come together to form a society is fundamentally because they want to coexist in harmony and live in justice and in peace. If this is the foundational reason why societies exist, one is then tempted to question the happenings in most states especially in Africa given that African states have well established institutions that are put in place to serve the needs of the citizens in the state. Is it that the purposes of the various institutions that function in the state have not been well defined? Or is it that the various institutions don’t function harmoniously for the realization of justice in the state. So, the perplexing question which we should ask ourselves is: Why is that justice in most African states has remained a utopia?

 Problem statement

The present situation of underdevelopment, anarchy and war in Africa, is one of the proof that the fundamental purpose of why the state exist with its various institutions ought to be revisited. Without justice, development remains a myth and peace will equally be absent in the society. The general cry in most African state is that of underdevelopment. However, underdevelopment is only a manifestation of injustice that obtains in most African states. Illustrating this claim, Manuel Ramos observes that “overall empirical evidence show that the judiciary matters- not only for its intrinsic value, but for its impact on development outcomes. First, a more efficient judiciary promotes economic growth through better enforcement of contracts and more security on property rights, while also leading to healthier business environments”.[13]

 The seeming absence of justice in most African states, demonstrates the fact that even though most African sates claim to be democratic and just, when their democratic and justice institutions are read using the lenses of Plato’s approach to justice, these institutions are found wanting. Like any other continent, African nations have in place structures which have well defined with peculiar principles and functions to administer to its citizens for justice to be attain. This work shall be demonstrating the handicapped condition of the African political system, showing its limitations and proposing a remedy on how these institutions can be built and properly organized to function for the attainment of justice in the society. The ideas of Plato the ancient Greek philosopher shall be visited and contextualized to remedy the present situation of Africa.

Therefore, in this work, we shall seek to answer the question: To what extent can Plato’s thoughts on justice serve as a panacea to the problem of injustice in African political and democratic systems?

In the course of the work, we shall be putting to test the ancient ideas of Plato on African states. Even though Plato never wrote from the present day African context, the work looks into his ideas of an ideal state and attempt to apply it in today’s society, proposing solutions to the difficulties that is facing African states in the attainment of justice.

Significance of the study

Thoughts void of applicability can be very irrelevant. As a matter fact, thought without practice is empty.[14] The importance of a philosophical idea is demonstrated at the level of its relevance to the society. This work shows the relevance of Plato’s ideas to the contemporary African society. African political systems and institutions are plagued with a lot of problems and this is the main evidence for the absence of justice in most African states. This work is very relevant to the present context of Africa mainly because it focuses on the problem of justice, not just discussing vaguely what justice is all about, but clearly demonstrates how it can be born or realize in the society. Given that political systems or institutions in the state are well organized with clearly defined aims, having just individuals who function in these institutions, then the state can enjoy the benefits of justice.

This work clearly brings out vital and key institutions in the state which includes; the educational sector, the economic sector, the sector of law and order and the executive arm of the state. It justifies that if justice ought to be a reality in any state, there ought to be harmony among these various sectors or institutions without which justice ends just at a conceptual level.  This work is significant and relevant in that it exposes the disharmony of these institutions in African states and proposes how harmony can be achieved. Most African states are plagued with the situation of anarchy which destabilizes progress. This work is of prime importance as it gives the way out. Harmonious justice in this work is seen as a therapy to anarchy.

Methodology

This work shall use the hermeneutical method. We shall be interpreting the author’s ideas based on experiences in the present contemporary society.

Structure of the work

This research work is stratified into five chapters in which the concept of harmonious justice is being analyzed.  In chapter one of this work, we shall be discussing the ancient Greek conception of justice and the ancient Athenian justice system in order to have a better background understanding of the society and influence from which Plato wrote. We shall see the perspective from which the Athenians viewed justice and how they sought for it in their society. This chapter equally discusses the main spark or factor that led Plato to write about justice. The unjust death of Socrates his master and the corruption that characterized the Athenian society will be explained as the reasons which led Plato to write about justice in the state. In this chapter, we shall define justice from the perspective of the various characters in The Republic and we shall equally see the various types of justice that scholars have been able to outline.

The second chapter of this work shall be discussing the ideas of Plato in The Republic. This chapter presents how justice can be achieved in the state. The societal conception of who a just man is and who a just man is not shall be examined in this chapter. In this section, we shall see how Plato explains and demonstrates how justice can be acquired from an individual perspective through the various virtues of an individual such as temperance, courage, wisdom and how he extends this individual process of attaining justice to the state. A brief definition and explanation of what a state and institution is all about, what qualifies one to work in an institution, education as the foundation of a just state, and the role of law in the state are all factors raised in The Republic which are discussed in the second chapter.

In chapter three, we shall be examining the political thoughts of other philosophers after Plato who contributed their ideas on how people in the society can live in a harmonious and just way. The idea of philosophers such as Aristotle, Saint Augustine of Hippo, John Locke, Jean Jacque Rousseau and Thomas Hobbes shall be looked in to. They all had different ideas and methods to which the state can experience justice but their aims remain the same just like that of Plato in The Republic who sought to construct an ideal sate free from any act of injustice.

In the fourth section of the work, we shall be criticizing and bringing out the limitations of Plato’s thoughts in the Republic. The degradation of women in the state, the promotion of communism and despotism in the state and the limitation of one’s abilities and capabilities are the factors that are examined in this chapter which limits Plato’s idea from completely achieving its goal.

And finally, the fifth chapter of this work shows the relevance of Plato’s political thoughts to the present political context in most African states where in, anarchy, war, and chaos have characterized most states slowing development in almost all sectors. In this chapter, we shall discuss how relevant the work is to the moral wellbeing of individuals in the state, how various institutions can work, specializing in their various domains yet in harmony with each other and finally we shall be demonstrating how harmonious justice can serve as an adequate solution/therapy to anarchy.

[1]Joseph N. Ogar and Samuel A. Bassey “Histrical Perspective   on Social Justice”, Department of Philosophy, University of Calabar, Cross River Nigeria, www.stmjournals.com p.2.

[2]Painter, NellIrvin, “The History of White People”, www.norton&company.com ISBN918-0-393-07949-4.

[3]Plato, The Apology of Socrates, Translated by H.N Fowler, edited with introduction and notes by E.E.Garvin (2013), p.4.

[4] Ronald Dworkin, A matter of principle, Harvard University Pres, 1985, PP 104-118.

[5] John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, Harvard University Press, 1971.

[6]Barker E, Greek Political theory-Plato and His Predecessors, London 4^th Edition 1952, PP 149-153.

[7]Plato, The Republic, Translated by Benjamin Jowett, New York Books, P 181.

[8]Ibid, P.90.

[9]Ibid, P.191.

[10]Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary, 4^th Edition P.172.

[11]Ibid, P.809.

[12]A.J.W Taylor, “Justice as a Basic Human Need”, In Journal of Psychology, Vol38, N^o.2, New Zealand 2009, P.5. 

[13]Manuel Ramos, “The Role of Justice In Development: The Data Revolution”, https://users.nber.org. June 2023 P.4

[14] William James. Pragmatism: A New Name for some old ways of Thinking, Longman Green and Co. New York,  1907.