Is It More Important for Society to Be Lawful or to Be Fair?

I am interested in exploring the philosophy of Aristotle further because he is one of
the most influential philosophers of all time. Even though he lived close to two and a half
millennia ago, his philosophy has had a major influence on modern philosophy and Western
legal justice systems. Therefore, understanding Aristotle is key to understanding many
aspects of modern philosophy and the thinking behind many aspects of western legal systems.
Understandably, some of Aristotle’s works are no longer as influential as they used to
be in the middle ages. However, there are some that have stood the test of time and continue
to exert influence in various fields of knowledge. In particular, Aristotle’s works continue to
be influential in the field of Ethics – the best way of individuals to live (Kenny 18). Among
his works in this field, the most influential one is Nicomachean Ethics.
I am interested in further exploring Nicomachean Ethics because of the book’s
influence on modern philosophy and law. I am especially interested in the book’s handling of
the concept of justice and how it relates to the question “is it more important for society to be
lawful or to be fair?”. According to Aristotle, justice can mean either being fair or being
lawful (Ross (translator) 1). Do these two qualities of justice carry equal weight? Is being fair
more important than being lawful, or being lawful is more important than being fair? I am
interested in further pursuing these questions because they are at the heart of some of the
major issues that many societies face. For instance, in the US, the questions of affirmative

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action, civil rights, women’s rights and related issues such as gender pay gap, and police
treatment of minority groups are all related with the issue of law and fairness. Thus,
exploring the question “is it more important for society to be lawful or to be fair?” will help
me to better understand some of these issues.

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Works Cited

Kenny, Anthony. The Aristotelian Ethics: A study of the relationship between the Eudemian
and Nicomachean ethics of Aristotle. Oxford University Press, 2016.
Ross, W.D. Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle.