Scribd
Upload
7 views6 pages

Social Justice

The document explores the concept of justice across various cultures, emphasizing principles such as equal treatment, proportionate justice, and recognition of special needs. It discusses the importance of just distribution of resources and the role of social justice in addressing inequalities. Theories by philosophers like John Rawls highlight the necessity of impartial decision-making in achieving fair societal organization.

Uploaded by

dhruvm1278
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
7 views6 pages

Social Justice

The document explores the concept of justice across various cultures, emphasizing principles such as equal treatment, proportionate justice, and recognition of special needs. It discusses the importance of just distribution of resources and the role of social justice in addressing inequalities. Theories by philosophers like John Rawls highlight the necessity of impartial decision-making in achieving fair societal organization.

Uploaded by

dhruvm1278
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

What is Justice?

• All cultures and traditions have interpreted the concept of


justice in different ways.

• In ancient Indian society, justice was associated with dharma


and maintaining dharma or a just social order, was considered to
be a primary duty of kings.

• In China, Confucius, the famous philosopher argued that kings


should maintain justice by punishing wrong doers and rewarding
the virtuous.

• In fourth century B.C. Athens (Greece), Plato discussed issues of


justice in his book The Republic.

• The idea that justice involves giving each person his due
continues to be an important part of our present day
understanding of justice.

• According to the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, human


beings possess dignity. If all persons are granted dignity then
what is due to each of them is that they have the opportunity to
develop their talents and pursue their chosen goals.

• Justice requires that we give due and equal consideration to all


individuals.

Equal Treatment for Equals

• One of the principles regarding equal importance of all people is


the principle of treating equals equally. It is considered that all
individuals share certain characteristics as human beings.
Therefore they deserve equal rights and equal treatment.

• Some of the important rights which are granted in most liberal


democracies today include civil rights such as the rights of life,
liberty and property, political rights like the right to vote, which
enable people to participate in political processes, and certain
social rights which would include the right to enjoy equal
opportunities with other members of the society.

• The principle of treating equals equally would require that


people should not be discriminated against on grounds of class,
caste, race or gender.

Proportionate Justice

• Equal treatment is not the only principle of justice.

• There could be circumstances in which we might feel that


treating everybody equally would be unjust.

• If everybody starts from the same base line of equal rights,


justice in such cases would mean rewarding people in proportion
to the scale and quality of their effort.

• However, it would be fair and just to reward different kinds of


work differently if we take into account factors such as the effort
required, the skills required, the possible dangers involved in that
work, and so on.

• For justice in society, the principle of equal treatment needs to


be balanced with the principle of proportionality.

Recognition of Special Needs

• A third principle of justice which we recognise is for a society to


take into account special needs of people while distributing
rewards or duties.
• The principle of taking account of the special needs of people
does not necessarily contradict the principle of equal treatment
so much as extend it because the principle of treating equals
equally could imply that people who are not equal in certain
important respects could be treated differently.

• People with special needs or disabilities could be considered


unequal in some particular respect and deserving of special help.

• Physical disabilities, age or lack of access to good education or


health care, are some of the factors which are considered grounds
for special treatment in many countries.

• In India, the Constitution allowed for reservations of government


jobs and quotas for admissions to educational institutions for
people belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Tribes due to
social discrimination on the grounds of caste.

• Different groups in the country might favour different policies


depending upon which principle of justice they emphasise.

Just Distribution

• Social justice also concerns the just distribution of goods and


services, whether it is between nations or between
different groups and individuals within a society.

• If there are serious economic or social inequalities in a society,


it might become necessary to try and redistribute some of the
important resources of the society to provide something like a
level playing field for citizens.
• Therefore, within a country social justice would require not only
that people be treated equally in terms of the laws and policies of
the society but also that they enjoy some basic equality of life
conditions and opportunities.
• Differences of opinion on matters such whether, and how, to
distribute resources and ensure equal access to education and
jobs arouse fierce passions in society and even sometimes
provoke violence.

• A well-known political philosopher, John Rawls has argued that


there could indeed be a rational justification for acknowledging
the need to provide help to the least privileged members of a
society.

John Rawls: theory of Justice

• John Rawls argues that the only way we can arrive at a fair and
just rule is if we imagine ourselves to be in a situation in which we
have to make decisions about how society should be organised
although we do not know which position we would ourselves
occupy in that society.

• Rawls describes this as thinking under a ‘veil of ignorance’. He


expects that in such a situation of complete ignorance about our
possible position and status in society, each person would decide
in the way they generally do, that is, in terms of their own
interests.

• But since no one knows who he would be, and what is going to
benefit him, each will predict the future society from the point of
view of the worst-off.

• This would not help those who are born in a disadvantaged


section of society.

• It is of course not easy to erase our identities and to imagine


oneself under a veil of ignorance. But then it is equally difficult for
most people to be self-sacrificing and share their good fortune
with strangers.

• The merit of the ‘veil of ignorance’ position is that it expects


people to just be their usual rational selves: they are expected to
think for themselves and choose what they regard to be in their
interest.

• Rawls therefore argues that rational thinking, not morality,


could lead us to be fair and judge impartially regarding how to
distribute the benefits and burdens of a society.

Pursuing Social Justice

• If in a society deep and persistent divisions exist between those


who enjoy greater wealth and property, and the power which goes
with such ownership, and those who are excluded and deprived,
we would say that social justice is lacking there.

• Justice does not require absolute equality and sameness in the


way in which people live.

• Various methods of calculating the basic needs of people have


been devised by different governments and by international
organisations like the World Health Organisation.

• Providing people with their basic needs is considered to be one


of the responsibilities of a democratic government. However,
providing such basic conditions of life to all citizens may pose a
heavy burden on governments, particularly in countries like India
which have a large number of poor people.

• In India, different approaches are being supported by different


political groups who debate the relative merits of different
schemes for helping marginalised sections of the population such
as the rural or urban poor.
Free Markets versus State Intervention

• Supporters of the free market believe that if markets are left


free of state interference the sum of market transactions would
ensure overall a just distribution of benefits and duties in society.

• However, not all free market supporters today would support


absolutely unregulated markets. Many would now be willing to
accept certain restrictions, for instance, states could step in to
ensure a basic minimum standard of living to all people so that
they are able to compete on equal terms.

• One of the arguments put forward in favour of market


distribution is that it gives us more choices.

• Another argument often heard in defence of free markets and


private enterprise is that the quality of services they provide is
often superior to that provided in government institutions. But the
cost of
such services may put them out of the reach of the poor.

• Arguments can be put forward on both sides of the debate but


free markets often exhibit a tendency to work in favour of the
already privileged.

• In a democratic society disagreements about issues of


distribution and justice are inevitable and even healthy because
they force us to examine different points of view and rationally
defend our own views.

• Politics is about the negotiation of such disagreements through


debate.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy