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Understanding Social Justice Concepts

Social justice, rooted in the 19th century, advocates for equal opportunities regardless of race, sex, or caste, and is integral to the Indian constitution. The article discusses various Western philosophical perspectives on justice, including those of Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas, highlighting concepts such as economic and political justice. It emphasizes the importance of fairness, equality, and moral law in achieving justice within society.

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13 views2 pages

Understanding Social Justice Concepts

Social justice, rooted in the 19th century, advocates for equal opportunities regardless of race, sex, or caste, and is integral to the Indian constitution. The article discusses various Western philosophical perspectives on justice, including those of Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas, highlighting concepts such as economic and political justice. It emphasizes the importance of fairness, equality, and moral law in achieving justice within society.

Uploaded by

sakthipriyamuniyasamy14
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Social justice, a concept that emerged during the 19 th century industrial

revolution, aims to provide equal opportunities for personal development


without discrimination based on race, sex, or caste. It is a fundamental
aspect of the Indian constitution, with the apex court in the Kesavananda
Bharati case stating that social justice and judicial review are two key
features. Economic justice, a part of social justice, aims to provide economic
equality and remove economic disabilities, eradicating poverty and
distributing wealth equally among all contributors. Political justice is a
system that ensures fairness and equality in government operations, treating
all citizens equally regardless of their political status.

This article explores Western philosophical conceptions of justice, including


ancient Greek, medieval Christian, early modern, modern, and contemporary
theories. It examines how these theories are applied to controversial social
issues like civil disobedience, punishment, and international relations

In his celebrated work, The Republic,4,5Plato defines Justice as a critical


virtue necessary to establish societal order. At a personal level Justice
embodies personal order that is individual goodness and obedience of laws.
According to Plato an individual is just insofar that he can achieve:

i). wisdom or Justice of the mind

ii). Temperance or Justice of the senses

iii). Courage or Justice of the heart

Aristotle6,7operationalised Justice as the quest to “treat equals equally and


unequals unequally”. Politically, Aristotle’s Justice was concerned with what
is lawful and fair, hence the coining of the special forms of Justice, i.e.
distributive and retributive (restorative) Justice. Retributive Justice is
concerned with reparation, thereby ensuring that when societal rules of “fair
play” have been violated, wrongs are righted through some legitimate
mechanism. Distributive Justice or proportionate equality, means that to
every man would be accorded dues, rights and rewards according to merit
(desert), effort or contribution.

Aquinas9,10believed that Justice was an extension of natural law, which is


God’s law. Therefore, Justice as a virtue implies that one is in harmony with
and should constantly act according to the natural law. These philosophers
defined Justice as emanating from Christian morality and the belief in God,
His purpose and wish for mankind.

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