Journal of Philosophy and Theology

What’s Justice got to do with it?
Douglas Langston

Abstract
Contrary to the common view that the four cardinal virtues are interconnected such that anyone possessing one must possess the others, I argue that there is an asymmetry betweenjustice and theother three. While temperance, fortitude, and prudence are required for justice, justice is not requiredfor any of the other three. This asymmetry occurs not only because justice is a motivational virtue while the other three are structural (or both structural and motivational) but also because justice must be seen in terms of right actions rather than good actions. While it is the case that prudence, temperance, and courage make an agent a good agent, one can be just without being good.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/ijpt.v2n4a3