The Unsettled Nexus: Revolution, Justice, and the State

The relationship between revolution and justice is one of philosophy's most enduring and contentious debates. At its core, this article posits that while revolution is often born from a profound sense of injustice, its capacity to deliver true justice is fraught with complexity, raising fundamental questions about the nature of the State, the rights of individuals, and the morality of radical change. We will explore how thinkers across the Great Books of the Western World have grappled with this intricate connection, from the foundational principles of a just society to the violent overthrow of established orders.

Justice: The Enduring Aspiration

From antiquity, philosophers have sought to define and achieve justice. For Plato, in The Republic, justice within the State is an ordering of parts, where each individual and class performs its proper function, leading to a harmonious whole. Aristotle, in his Nicomachean Ethics and Politics, distinguishes between distributive justice (fair allocation of goods and honors) and corrective justice (redressing wrongs), emphasizing that justice is fundamental to the good life and the stability of the polis. When this fundamental order breaks down, when the State itself becomes an instrument of oppression or inequality, the seeds of discontent are sown.

  • Key Philosophical Conceptions of Justice:
    • Plato: A harmonious balance within the soul and the State, where each part fulfills its natural role.
    • Aristotle: A virtue of character and a principle of distribution and correction within society.
    • Thomas Aquinas: Justice as a moral virtue directing one to give others their due, rooted in natural law.

Revolution: The Catalyst for Radical Change

A revolution is more than a mere rebellion; it signifies a fundamental, often violent, transformation of the political, social, and economic structures of a society. It is typically fueled by a widespread perception that the existing State has become illegitimate, unjust, or tyrannical.

(Image: A detailed classical oil painting depicting Lady Justice, blindfolded and holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other, but with a subtle crack visible in the base of the scales, symbolizing the fragility or corruption of justice that can lead to revolutionary fervor.)

The Social Contract and the Right to Resist

The Enlightenment thinkers profoundly shaped our understanding of the connection between revolution and justice. John Locke, in his Two Treatises of Government, argued that individuals possess inherent natural rights (life, liberty, property) which governments are instituted to protect. If the State (or sovereign) violates this social contract and infringes upon these rights, the people retain the right to resist and even dissolve that government – a clear justification for revolution in the pursuit of justice.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in The Social Contract, further developed the idea of popular sovereignty. For Rousseau, the general will of the people dictates legitimate governance. Should a State deviate from this general will, becoming an oppressive force, the people have a right to reclaim their sovereignty, potentially through revolutionary means, to restore a truly just and free society.

Philosopher View on Revolution's Connection to Justice Role of the State
John Locke Revolution is justified when the State violates natural rights, restoring justice. The State exists to protect natural rights; its legitimacy is conditional.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau Revolution can restore the General Will when the State deviates from popular sovereignty. The State embodies the General Will; its authority stems from the people.

Revolution as Historical Imperative

Karl Marx offered a different, yet equally powerful, connection between revolution and justice. For Marx, history is a narrative of class struggle, driven by economic forces. Justice in a capitalist State is inherently biased, serving the interests of the ruling class. True justice, characterized by the equitable distribution of resources and the end of exploitation, can only be achieved through a proletarian revolution that overthrows the capitalist State and establishes a classless society. Here, revolution is not merely an option but an inevitable historical force leading to a higher form of justice.

The State: Arena of Conflict and Aspiration

The State stands at the very center of this complex dynamic. It is simultaneously:

  • The primary source of perceived injustice that can ignite revolutionary sentiment.
  • The target of revolutionary action.
  • The instrument through which a new form of justice is sought to be established.

Whether viewed as a necessary evil, a divine institution, or a social construct, the nature of the State's power and its relationship to its citizens' rights dictates the potential for revolutionary upheaval. When the State fails to uphold what its citizens perceive as fundamental justice, the connection between the desire for fairness and the impulse for radical change becomes undeniable.

The Ethical Dilemma: Means and Ends

While the aspiration for justice often fuels revolution, the means employed during such upheavals raise profound ethical questions. Can violence ever be truly just? Does the pursuit of a just end justify unjust means? This dilemma has plagued revolutionaries and philosophers alike. Figures like Edmund Burke, in his Reflections on the Revolution in France, cautioned against the destructive potential of radical change, arguing that revolutions often devour their own children and lead to new forms of tyranny, undermining the very justice they sought to achieve. This perspective highlights the precarious connection between revolutionary fervor and its actual outcomes.

Conclusion: An Unbroken, Unsettled Connection

The connection between revolution and justice is not a simple linear path but a complex, often cyclical, relationship. While revolutions are undeniably born from a profound yearning for a more just order, their success in establishing lasting justice remains a subject of intense philosophical scrutiny. From the ancient Greeks' pursuit of an ideal State to the Enlightenment's assertion of natural rights and Marx's vision of historical inevitability, the philosophical tradition underscores that the demand for justice is a powerful, potentially transformative, force against an unjust State. Yet, the journey from revolutionary fervor to genuine justice is always fraught with peril, reminding us that the pursuit of a truly just society is an ongoing, often revolutionary, endeavor.

Video by: The School of Life

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