The 60-Second Aquinas
Lesson
To Each His Own
October 2, 1998
If you spill coffee on your tie, would you say that you are the victim of an injustice? Or, are you merely clumsy?
Even if your clumsiness is a great vice that is so great as to be near sinful, you would not consider this to be an injustice, because you can’t really be unjust to yourself.
However, if a co-worker purposely causes you to spill coffee on your tie, you know doubt would cry foul. In such a case, you would be the victim of injustice (and a grave one because removing a spot from a silk tie often removes the color too!).
It’s not surprising that Aquinas would define justice in a way that necessarily includes others: "the lasting and constant will of rendering to each one his right" (ST II-II, Q. 58, Art. 1). Justice is involved specifically in our dealings with other people. Justice is a matter of equality, but equality can only be judged if there is more than one person.
Thus, "justice of its nature bears a relationship to another, for something is equal to another, not to itself" (ST II-II, Q. 58, Art. 2).
Explanation of The 60-Second Aquinas Lesson
