How to review the concept of justice with manga?

His first encounter with manga was Naruto. The professor admits in his new book, Manga FiloNinja allowed him to ask questions regarding morality, ethics, epistemology, and justice. Japanese comic book fans are convinced that manga can be an interesting gateway to understanding philosophy.

Even if they are not necessarily cited in articles in favor of authorities such as Plato, they allow students to understand and integrate complex concepts. Happiness, morality, religion… This year, final year students will be quizzed on one of the 17 concepts in the programme. Gatsu Sensei was asked to decipher and analyze justice with his favorite heroes.

Death note Two judges dissented

For the professor, L and Light represent the radical opposition of two concepts: super-reasonable justice and ideal justice, against human and institutional justice. “Light has a biased view of the world.” Gatsu-sensei explains. He is considered the most intelligent student in Japan, has great analytical skills and realizes this “This world is corrupt”Because many criminals go unpunished, causing great injustice to the victims.

“When he finds the Death Note, he sees it as a means to an end that affects all of humanity: to restore greater justice on Earth through this Note, which can be compared to a form of divine punishment. » Indeed, when Light writes someone’s name on these pages, the person dies. “The concept which it embodies is then the concept of supersensible justice. It belongs to an ideal world, it is not concrete, and it would be ideal.” Therefore light can be considered Platonic, because “He believes that this justice should be a model for that applied in society, and that man should become hardened toward evil.”

On the contrary, L is a representative of institutional and human justice. He did not steal his position as well “The world’s greatest detective” And he understands very quickly that a normal person thinks he’s a god and is killing all these people one way or another. “He believes in the power of human justice, imperfect as it may seem, with its institutions, its courts, its judges and its police officers. »

Death note Therefore, he presents us with two models of justice: one aims at perfection, dominates the world, and cannot be understood by humans, but must follow metaphysical justice and the justice of the human world that people can access and can reestablish. Greater justice by the strength of its institutions, by judging those who consider themselves a judge beyond reason.

one piece The relativity of human justice

Gatsu Sensei claims that: ” one piece It is a political act. » In fact, the reader follows pirates, and thus outlaws, who oppose the Navy, the main military force of the World Government. Therefore, the issue of justice is central, both in the manga and in the anime, especially when the characters arrive on a new island – which is governed by its own laws. “Out of the entire group of heroes, Doflamingo is particularly interesting. Unlike the heroes Death noteHe believes that justice does not exist. »

As a reminder, Don Quixote Doflamingo is a celestial dragon, a type of aristocrat. He was part of the nobility that ruled the world, before his father decided to return with the “inferior people.” He knows how the world works and who pulls the strings. » So he chose to become a great pirate, a pirate paid by the government. In exchange for his immunity, he can only plunder other pirate ships and must pay a small portion of his spoils to the powerful.

When we ask him if what he is doing is just, he answers by invoking the relativity of justice. For him, it doesn’t exist. “A child who has always known war and famine will have a very different concept of justice than a child who has lived with a golden spoon in his mouth. They cannot understand each other. Justice is therefore relative, in the sense that it depends on each person’s experience. A just decision for one would be grossly unjust.” Essential to the last.

For the individual, justice belongs only to the victor and is always linked to each person’s personal interests. Just like Light, he denounces the fact that the idea of ​​justice does not exist, and that L’s human justice is not a unified justice for all of humanity. “Doflamingo realizes that power games are changing and that the concept of justice is being redefined by the strongest.”

The three things to remember

A caring and passionate teacher, Gatsu-sensei is not stingy with advice. His first suggestion is to put himself in the place of the philosopher who worked “It often comes down to a distinction between two concepts.” Therefore, we must be able to distinguish between the concepts of equality and fairness, but also ideal and institutional justice.

The second recommendation: Questioning the personality of the jurist, who is the person who believes that the law is always fair. “The concept of law is no longer included in the program, but it is still intrinsically linked to the concept of justice and this can make an interesting topic.” in one pieceA jurist might say that the Navy is always within its rights and that we should never go against what it says, even if its decision seems unfair.

“This can lead to abuses, as we saw in history with the Eichmann trial. He claimed that he was just following orders, that he was very good at his job and that he had asked him to do so. However, he knew that this was extremely unfair. » Note to future high school graduates: The distinction between legitimacy and justice.

“Which brings us to an interesting character: that of the rebellious man.” in one pieceThe latter is represented by Kobe, who revolts against the justice of the Navy, because he sees that his actions have become unjust. “We cannot say what justice is, but we can say what it is not. When we see men killing each other for personal interests, we know that this is unjust.”

Element found in the stranger Written by Albert Camus, which makes us understand that sacrifice is the only act that proves that a person struggles for a concept of justice that transcends his personal interests. “When you sacrifice yourself, you have no personal interest. It is not justice driven by interests, but rather the desire to achieve a greater form of justice that affects humanity.”

This review paper is the beginning of a series of articles that will allow you to approach the BA in Philosophy more calmly. The upcoming episodes will focus on the concept of morality and happiness, as well as Gatsu-sensei’s advice to shine during the exam.