What is the Capacity for Justice? Plato's perspective (Concluding)

The capacity for justice is important to ensure that a system functions well and in the best interest of the most amount of people. The capacity is an average based in a systems lowest and highest levels of justice. Keep in mind that justice ideal is the pure form and all systems should seek to reach that ideal. While they may never actually reach that ideal in our lifetime, or ever because we are dealing with ideals, it is the northern star. If you don't have a compass your lost in the sea and that is part of the problem. 

Source: Historical Society of NY Courts
The History of the Lady of Justice
Justice Personified
The blindsight of being blind.

The ideal form of justice is what creates the strongest societies that are harmonious and bountiful (You can also think of how hedging knowledge and diversity leads to competitivness today.). Justice on an individual level makes one good, internally and externally consistent, a type of social-moral conscious (...here is that word again moral conscious that has been a theme throughout the hate, extremism and corruption hypothetical example. Just being in a higher position, a particular religion, having power, or knowing the right poeple doesn't earn one the badge of having moral conscious. Let us keep talking about ideal forms and see where this leads....eventually. 🤷).

The Hypothetical Learning Example: People spread bigoted rumors, ostracized, misuse power, disrespected our vets, took advantage of the sick and elderly, put kids in harms way, etc. The system was heavily influenced by a homogeneous in-group that similar to a cult was fearful of those from outside the area who may be different. They judged worthiness and the application of law and social graces by what they believe a "local" was (...neglecting people who were around longer simply because of their false perceptions of social heirarchy in a small fish bowl. ie. unexposed to the wider world.). The community rallied for their principles and corrupted officials were uncovered. Misuse of local institutions or clan gain couldn't overcome the perceptions of the community. Corruption, bias, and extremism could no longer be intentionally protected and rewarded.  A choice on outcomes below.

Imagine you have two broad outcomes....

Clan Based Justice: Third world mentality, racial and religious bias, ethnocentric, lack of protection for victims (victim blaming), ongoing corruption, continuation of intimidation, increased victims, increased cost, loss of good officials, decreased performance and outcomes, politicization, lowered trust leading to a secondary and third justice default and eventual collapse with longer ramifications. The system continues to decline with the all the consequences of not having moral leadership or direction. An unaligned system to American values.

American Based Justice: In alignment with our values of free people without consideration to race and religion (an ideal codified in Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Constitution, Human and Civil Rights) we seek to create justice. Good officials stay, poor officials leave, system becomes efficient and effective, cheaper to run, higher outcomes, trust rises, and public support increases. The sytem continues to adapt upwards. An aligned system to American values.

The vast majority of good people would include the American Based Justice system. While we do not have a perfect history (no place does) we have strove generation after generation to live our ideals. However, some may not have the moral conscious (...that word again) to stand up for greater principles and where they don't, we may need Federal oversite to correct. In this hypothetical question for learning purposes the outcome is most likely going to be positive and beneficial for society as we can write the ending anyway we want. What type of ending would you like to see?

Platos Conception of Justice

*This is a hypothetical example for learning purposes and is a thought experiment on freedom of religion, freedom of speech, Constitution and human/civil rights. There is also another nugget in there in terms of long term health and growth.