Justice as Economics in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

Abstract

This article explores the role of money in Aristotle’s understanding of justice. In the Politics, Aristotle famously critiques money; a common unit of measurement representing goods for exchange, it is the source of the unlimited pursuit of wealth that is unnatural and an obstacle to the good life. I argue, however, that Aristotle’s discussion in the Politics is not exhaustive of his views on money. In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle’s discussion of distribution, rectification and reciprocity shows that money is crucial to justice. Money initially binds citizens into a single polity, allowing an equality to emerge where none is apparent.