Justice is simply what the strongest party commands. When the Nazis triumphed, all they commanded was justice. When the Stalinists triumphed, all they commanded was justice. Whether the victor is Machiavelli or the bourgeoisie makes no difference, as long as they possess the power to subjugate others. What they command is justice.
Thus, Thrasymachus’s view is that justice is the power to coerce. There is no moral order in the world. This idea is deeply ingrained. Although it was, at least superficially, refuted in the first book of Plato’s Republic, it is, like all profound ideas, deeply rooted. Its echoes remained present, albeit implicitly, in the Western political tradition. Machiavelli boldly declared that there is no moral order in the world. He was among the first to reaffirm Thrasymachus’s assertion in the first book of Plato’s Republic. We live in a world of nature, a world of power, violence, and oppression.
Alfonso VI declared, “I will defeat the Arabs on their own land. I have an army that will conquer people and ghosts. Even the angels of heaven will not defeat my army.” Alfonso, king of the Christian kingdoms in Andalusia, stood proud of his army, which numbered over eighty thousand soldiers. He boasted, “If I had enough ships, I would cross the sea and fight the Arabs on their own land.” When the Muslim leader Yusuf ibn Tashfin of Morocco learned of Alfonso’s words, he sent him a message saying, “We have heard that you wish you had enough ships to cross the sea to us. Do not trouble yourself, for we will cross to you so that you may see the consequences of your wish.” Yusuf ibn Tashfin crossed the sea with an army of 25,000 Muslims. The Battle of Sagrajas (Zallaqa) ensued, where the Muslim forces defeated Alfonso’s army. Only five hundred of Alfonso’s soldiers survived. Alfonso was wounded in the battle and died one year later, consumed by grief and despair over his defeat.
It is 1789 and we are in France. The king lives a life of luxury, holding lavish banquets, while his people starve. The country is bankrupt, and anger grows among the population. The people demand change time and again, but nothing happens. They take to the streets and storm the royal palace. The regime falls, and for the first time, the people have rights. For a brief period, liberty spread throughout France.
However, the revolution turns on itself, and a new kind of government emerges. The leaders of the revolution believe that protecting it requires eliminating its enemies. Loyalty turns into suspicion, and suspicion becomes enough to warrant a death sentence; even a whisper can lead to execution. Neighbors reported each other to save themselves. Families were torn apart, and prisons overflowed with accused individuals. Those arrested were denied the right to a trial. Punishment was carried out without due process.
