Can we at least equalise Pakistani citizens in terms of their access to education, healthcare and housing
RAWALPINDI: In his foundational work on human ethics Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle postulates: a) justice exists only between men whose relations are regulated by law, and b) law exists for men whose relations are defined by injustice. This basically means that laws were imposed to correct injustice. Aristotle admitted that societies are flawed as the relations between individuals are based on caprice, avarice and injustice. However, he hoped that law would serve as a fulcrum to balance conflicting interests of individuals in society. He was optimistic that societies would balance personal desires (gain-loss, cost-benefit) by evolving a ‘Golden Mean’, a set of rules treating all individuals equally before the law. The maxim was, ‘treat others as you would like to be treated yourself’.
If we perceive the ‘Golden Mean’ as a weighted average, then the people in Pakistan carry the least weight vis-a-vis classes (the elite and the mafia). To achieve the Golden Mean in our democratic society, could we equalise citizens at least in terms of their access to education, healthcare and housing?
Amjed Jaaved
Published in The Express Tribune, December 29th, 2015.
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