justice and sovereignty

A detailed Summary of justice and sovereignty

There are two basic questions in this world. Who governs? And to what ends do they govern? These questions raise concerns over the limits of power given to people. How much power is just? In their writings, Plato, John Locke, and Robert A. Dahl address the question of what is the meaning of justice and sovereignty. Each of them has distinct definitions on what justice is and how it can be applied to power.

In The Cave, Plato writes that justice comes from truth. In Plato's opinion truth is the path to ultimate good. It is supreme over everything else in this universe. He allows truth to guide his perception of what justice is and should be. Plato thought that justice had to come from that which was absolute. Knowledge and those things that are irrefutable led to truth. Truth in turn led to reason, which led to the ultimate good, which in Plato's eyes was wisdom.

"Without having a vision of their truth, no one can act with wisdom either in his life or in matters of state." Plato believes that in order for someone to reach justice, they must first find out what the truth is. Therefore Plato was saying that in order for one to be just, he/she

Although each of the three ideas is completely different in their messages about justice and sovereignty, ultimately neither of the three is unattainable. If I were to choose one, however, I would probably choose the theory provided by John Locke. His theory of certain inalienable rights is completely irrefutable and forces one to believe that the natural laws are the laws which should govern the world. His idea of tabuleraza makes more sense than Plato's idea; that philosopher kings should govern the world. It is also more attainable than Dahl's theory of equality. Locke's theories allow a person to pursue that which makes them happy, and that is as close to universal satisfaction as one could probably get.

Because Plato believes that justice should be based upon truth and knowledge, he then also believes that philosopher kings should be the ones who carry out justice. Since justice derives from wisdom, which guides the minds of the philosopher kings, it is only right that they are the ones who should rule over the people. The philosopher kings will rule over the people justly and unselfishly because their only desire is to reach the absolute truth without any personal gain.

Locke's ideas make a lot of sense in a utopian world. While it is irrefutable that all men have the right to life liberty, and property (pursuit of happiness) how many people on this planet are given the freedom to exercise those rights? In a perfect world, everybody would be given a chance to pursue that which makes him or her happy, but in the real world others often infringe upon these rights. So, while L

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Approximate Word count = 1075
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Category: Politics