Idiopragic formula
As an idiopragic formula (from the Greek ἰδιοπραγία idiopragía " conducting one's own affairs") one describes the definition of justice originating from Plato in modern philosophical-historical specialist literature . According to this, righteousness consists in everyone doing only their own duties.
Plato's use of the term
The word "Idiopragie" was probably coined anew by Plato. Plato's use of the term differs fundamentally from the modern one. The word is only used in one place - in the Nomoi dialogue . There he does not use it to denote justice, but in the opposite, negative sense: running one's own affairs as the activity of an egoistic ruler who pursues his personal interests at the expense of the common good. For Plato, such idiopragy is the epitome of injustice. It was only in modern specialist literature that “idiopragy” has taken on the opposite meaning: conducting one's own affairs in the sense of a just limitation to one's own area of responsibility, that is, renouncing abuse. Although this word meaning reflects Plato's idea of justice, it is in sharp contrast to his use of the term "idiopragy".
Idiopragy as justice
Plato explains his concept of justice in his dialogue Politeia . According to his principle, now known as the “Idiopragic Formula”, justice is given within a whole (the cosmos, the state or the soul ) if there is an appropriate, natural relationship between the parts of the whole. This is the case when each part only fulfills the exact function that it has according to its special nature. This includes, in particular, that the part that is naturally capable of steering the whole actually takes the lead and that the other parts are subordinate to it. If a part presumes something that is not naturally due to it and interferes in other people's responsibilities, rift, disorder and confusion result. That is injustice. If each part fulfills its specific purpose, the whole is given a harmonious character and can in turn optimally fulfill its purpose as a whole.
In the cosmos, the components of which a wise creator, the Demiurge , carefully arranged, justice is established in an exemplary manner. It is incumbent on the human being to realize the optimal order among the individual elements in his area of responsibility. This applies both to the relationship between the various parts of the human soul and to the relationships between citizens in the polis .
In the utopian ideal state, guided by the principle of justice, described by Plato in Dialogue Politeia , justice in the sense of the idiopragic formula is realized through the order of the estates . The citizenry is divided into three classes: the craftsmen and peasants, the guardian and the philosopher's rulers . Each citizen only fulfills the tasks that correspond to his status. The class affiliation is not hereditary, but everyone is assigned to the class that corresponds to his disposition and qualifications. If everyone adheres to the idiopragic formula, all the benefits of labor are more abundant, more beautiful and easier. Both the community and the individual citizen benefit from this.
Aristotle criticizes Plato's draft of an ideal state, but basically agrees with the idiopragic formula by stating that in an optimally organized state every citizen must do the task assigned to him well.
literature
Otfried Höffe : On the analogy of the individual and the polis (Book II 367a – 374d). In: Otfried Höffe (Ed.): Platon: Politeia , 3rd edition, Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-05-004978-6 , pp. 51-69
Remarks
- ↑ Klaus Schöpsdau : Plato: Nomoi (Laws) Book VIII – XII. Translation and commentary , Göttingen 2011, p. 348.
- ↑ Plato, Laws 875b.
- ↑ Plato, Politeia 433a-435c, 443b-444d.
- ↑ For the cosmic model see Plato, Timaios 89d – 90d.
- ↑ See also Thomas Szlezák: Psyche - Polis - Kosmos . In: Enno Rudolph (Ed.): Polis and Kosmos , Darmstadt 1996, pp. 26–42. For details of the analogy between polis and soul see Norbert Blößner : Dialogform und Argument , Stuttgart 1997, pp. 152-213 and Otfried Höffe: On the analogy of the individual and the polis (Book II 367a-374d). In: Otfried Höffe (Ed.): Platon: Politeia , 3rd edition, Berlin 2011, pp. 51–69. For the connection between cosmic and human order, see Tatjana Alekniene: Kosmios kai theios . In: Freiburg Journal for Philosophy and Theology 46, 1999, pp. 369–387.
- ↑ Plato, Politeia 370c.
- ↑ Aristotle, Politics 1276b.