Justice as a Virtue

In sub-subunit 1.4.2, it is made clear that for Aristotle a crucial precondition of virtue is that actions must be intentional. For Aristotle, voluntary action—or intention—is required if praise or blame is to be appropriate. Praise and blame are important in that they testify to that which is virtuous in the polis, which substantiates the virtues among the citizenry and subsequent generations through habituation. Through praise and blame, we come to witness that to which we should aspire and that from which we should abstain, which in turn contributes to the kind of polis that makes for or perpetuates the right kind of habituation for both our peers and for the next generation. Praise and blame cannot apply to acts that are involuntary, and one criterion that can establish the involuntary character of an act is if it were undertaken in ignorance for which the agent is not responsible. However, as shown in sub-subunit 1.4.2, Aristotle sets the bar high for an act to be characterized as involuntary both on the basis of being associated with force or ignorance. Ample room is left available for acts to be understood as voluntary and hence potentially worthy of praise or blame.