Justice, Conflict, and the Nature of Politics: An Aristotelian Perspective
Keywords:
Aristotle, justice, conflict, politics, political polarizationAbstract
Political conflicts—most notably polarization—have intensified in many contemporary democracies worldwide. This study draws on Aristotle's political philosophy to re-examine these phenomena through the lenses of justice, conflict, and the nature of politics. Contrary to views that treat politics as a mechanism for eliminating disagreement, Aristotle regards conflict as a natural condition of political life. Justice—especially in its distributive aspect—is the virtue that enables societies to manage conflict in a way that sustains political order. The study demonstrates that Aristotle's ideas remain vital for interpreting and critiquing contemporary political dynamics, particularly in contexts where conflicts and polarizations increasingly challenge justice and democracy.
References
Abramowitz, A. I. (2015). The new American electorate. In J. A. Thurber & A. Yoshinaka (Eds.), American gridlock: The sources, character, and impact of political polarization (pp. 19, 408–446). Cambridge University Press.
Aristotle. (2000). Nicomachean ethics (R. Crisp, Trans.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (Original work published ca. 350 B.C.E.)
Aristotle. (2017). Politics: A new translation (C. D. C. Reeve, Trans.). Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing.
Baggini, J. (2018, May 23). Aristotle's thinking on democracy has more relevance than ever. Prospect Magazine. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/philosophy/41247/aristotles-thinking-on-democracy-has-more-relevance-than-ever
Barnes, J. (2006). Aristotle’s Politics: Critical Essays. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press. (Note: Published review appears in Bryn Mawr Classical Review.)
Bejan, T. (2020, November 24). What US democracy can learn from ancient Greek philosophy. London: New Statesman. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://www.newstatesman.com
/international-politics/us-election-2020/2020/11/what-us-democracy-can-learn-ancient-greek-philosophy
Berger, W., Singer, D., Bramson, A., Grim, P., Jung, J., Kovaka, K., & Berger, W. J. (2022). Philosophical considerations of political polarization. In D. Bordonaba Plou, V. Fernández Castro, & J. Torices (Eds.), The political turn in analytic philosophy: Reflections on social injustice and oppression (pp. 279–298). De Gruyter. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110612318-015
Brouwer, R. (2017). Justice in Aristotle’s ethics and politics. In J. D. Smith (Ed.), Aristotle’s practical philosophy: On the relationship between his ethics and politics (pp. 51–64). Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
de Lara, E. C., & Brouwer, R. (2017). Aristotle’s practical philosophy: On the relationship between his ethics and politics. Cham: Springer.
Buchheim, T., Flashar, H., & King, R. A. H. (Eds.). (2003). Kann man heute noch etwas anfangen mit Aristoteles? [Can we still do something with Aristotle today?]. Berlin, Germany: Akademie Verlag.
Cartledge, P. (2016, June 3). Ancient Greeks would not recognise our 'democracy' – they’d see an 'oligarchy'. The Conversation. Retrieved June 3, 2024, from https://theconversation.com/
ancient-greeks-would-not-recognise-our-democracy-theyd-see-an-oligarchy-60277
Esteban, J., & Schneider, G. (2008). Polarisation and conflict: Theoretical and empirical issues. Journal of Peace Research, 45(2), 131–141.
Erdoğan, E., & Uyan-Semerci, P. (2025). Affective polarization, philia, and the Aristotelian perspective. Frontiers in Political Science, 7, Article 1553889. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2025.1553889
Fishkin, J. S., & Mansbridge, J. (2017). Introduction. Daedalus, 146(3), 6–13. Retrieved June 26, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1162/DAED_x_00442
Greco, J., & Groff, R. (Eds.). (2013). Powers and capacities in philosophy: The new Aristotelianism. New York, NY: Routledge.
Günther, M. (2014). Aristoteles – heute?: Eine exemplarische Kritik an einer historisierenden Philosophieauffassung (Theorie und Forschung. Philosophie). Hamburg: Felix Meiner Verlag.
Hall, E. (2018). Aristotle’s way: How ancient wisdom can change your life. Random House.
Höffe, O., (2003). Aristotle. Albany: SUNY Press.
Hopkins, D. J., & Sides, J. (2015). Political polarisation in American politics. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Klein, J. (2020). Francis Bacon. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2020 Edition). Retrieved June 27, 2025, https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall
/entries/francis-bacon/
Knight, K. (2013). Aristotelian philosophy: Ethics and politics from Aristotle to MacIntyre. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Kousser, T., & Tranter, B. (2018). The influence of political leaders on climate change attitudes. Global Environmental Change, 50, 100–109.
Lockwood, T., & Samaras, T. (Eds.). (2015). Aristotle's Politics: A critical guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
MacIntyre, A. (1981). The nature of the virtues. Hastings Center Report, 11(2), 27–34.
McKerlie, D. (2001). Aristotle's theory of justice. The Southern Journal of Philosophy, 39(1), 119–141.
Miller, F. D. (1995). Nature, justice, and rights in Aristotle's Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Nivola, P. S. (2005). Thinking about political polarization. Brookings Institution Policy Brief No. 139. Retrieved June 26, 2025, from https://www.brookings.edu/articles/thinking-about-political-polarization/
Okin, S. M., & Satz, D. (1979). Woman’s place and nature in a functionalist world. In Women in Western political thought (Rev. ed., pp. 73–96). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt24hq74.9
Persily, N. (2015). Solutions to political polarisation in America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Popper, K. (1945). The open society and its enemies (Vols. 1–2). London: Routledge.
Prinz, J. (2021). Emotion and political polarization. In A. Falcato & S. Graça da Silva (Eds.), The politics of emotional shockwaves (pp. 1–16). Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56021-8_1
Rubin, L. G. (2018). Demagogy and the decline of middle-class republicanism: Aristotle on the Trump phenomenon. In A. J. Torres & M. B. Sable (Eds.), Trump and political philosophy: Leadership, statesmanship, and tyranny (pp. 51–73). Cham: Springer.
Simpson, W., Koons, R., & Teh, N. (2017). Reflections on contemporary science and the new Aristotelianism. In W. Simpson, R. Koons, & N. Teh (Eds.), Neo-Aristotelian perspectives on contemporary science (pp. xx–xx). London: Routledge.
Singer, D. J., Bramson, A., Grim, P., Jung, J., & Kovaka, K. (2019). Rational social and political polarization. Philosophical Studies, 176(8), 2243–2267.
Skultety, S. (2019). Conflict in Aristotle's political philosophy. State University of New York Press.
Smith, J. D. (2018). Aristotle’s practical philosophy: On the relationship between his ethics and politics. Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy, 14(2), 25–47. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.26556/jesp.v14i2.135
Sunstein, C. R. (2017). #Republic: Divided democracy in the age of social media. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Talisse, R. B. (2007). Why democrats need the virtues. In L. Goodman & R. B. Talisse (Eds.), Aristotle’s politics today (pp. 45–52). State University of New York Press.
Tessitore, A. (2002). Aristotle and modern politics: The persistence of political philosophy. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press.
Valdesolo, P., & Graham, J. (Eds.). (2016). Social psychology of political polarization. New York, NY: Routledge.
Von Leyden, W. (2014). Aristotle on equality and justice. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Wallach, J. R. (1992). Contemporary Aristotelianism. Political Theory, 20(4), 613–641.
Wilson, J. L. (2011). Deliberation, democracy, and the rule of reason in Aristotle's "Politics". American Political Science Review, 105(2), 259–274. Retrieved June 27, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055411000074
Winthrop, D. (1978). Aristotle and theories of justice. American Political Science Review, 72(4), 1201–1216. Retrieved June 26, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.2307/1954534.
Wolfe, C. J. (2021). When is it prudent to polarize? Perspectives on Political Science, 50(1), 62–66.
Yardi, S., & Boyd, D. (2010). Dynamic debates: An analysis of group polarization over time on Twitter. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 30(5), 316–327. Retrieved June 26, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1177/0270467610380011
Yack, B. (1993). The problems of a political animal: Community, justice, and conflict in Aristotelian political thought. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Integrated Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
บทความทัศนะ ข้อคิดเห็น ภาพที่ปรากฏ ในวารสารเล่มนี้เป็นความคิดเห็นส่วนตัวของผู้เขียน บรรณาธิการและกองบรรณาธิการไม่จำเป็นต้องเห็นพ้องด้วย และไม่ถือเป็นความรับผิดชอบ ลิขสิทธิ์เป็นของผู้เขียนและวิทยาลัยสหวิทยาการ มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์ การตีพิมพ์ชื่อต้องได้รับอนุญาตจากผู้เขียน และวิทยาลัยสหวิทยาการโดยตรง และเป็นลายลักษณ์อักษร
