The universe is made of stories, not of Atoms

Abstract

In this paper I would like to highlight the significa nee of an Aristotelian concept of justice for South African legal and political transformation. I believe that if it is necessary in philosophy, political theory and other fields to emphasise the importanee of focusing on the particular and on a specific context when we address the question of justice, it is even more important to do this in law. If it can be said that philosophy, political theory and other fields tend to generalise without adhering to the ethical questions of difference and otherness, it is even more true of legal theory and of the law. In what follows, the main point that I want to make is that in our search for justice the particular should be highlighted. Rights should be interpreted and phrased in such a way that not only universal ideals are addressed but concrete needs as well. In respect to the understanding and interpretation of rights, certain Aristotelian concepts of justice, practical wisdom and practical judgement are very relevant to the South African political and legal context.