Abstract:

In this article, by comparing the concepts of state and justice according to Aristotle and Badiou, we attempted to show the shift in the meanings of these concepts (that happened through more than two thousand years) in general terms and to contemplate on these concepts depending on this change. In fact, other philosophers who lived in different time periods yet share many philosophical ideas could have been chosen for this comparison. The reason to compare Aristotle’s and Badiou’s ideas on these concepts rather than comparing other philosophers’ approaches is not only the different time periods they lived in but also their considerable divergence on these topics. This divergence gives the opportunity to examine the possibility of ethics more precisely. The results that emerge from this examination might show the idea that one should not adhere to a certain definition of justice or ethics. However, the main emphasis here is not the idea that ethics can never be grounded, but to discuss the correctness of the axioms that grounds the ethics. We ultimately argue that the ground of ethics depends on the acceptance of human rationality and this feature makes humans detached from all other beings. We conclude that ethics is only possible when the connection between human beings and the world is carried out.

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