Social Justice: a definition

Maddy Hamlin

8/28/06

The idea of social justice is one that has been a topic of philosophers’ conversations for centuries. As a concept, social justice refers to the realization of morality and fairness for all people. As a term, it encapsulates so many different interpretations that they cannot all be listed here. To some, social justice means social organization, structure of government, etc. while to others it may conjure ideas regarding the fairness of basic human interactions. However, problems arise when people disagree on what, precisely, the code of social morality should be, and who should get to decide upon it. With a world full of varying cultures and cultural beliefs, it is impossible to answer these questions. For example, some people today would agree that we already live in a socially just world. These people are those who believe that modern day politics are headed in the right direction and that all people currently have their fair share in life. On the other hand, I believe in another side of the issue. It is my belief that social justice is a constantly fluctuating movement and ideal – that it is an impossible goal we as human beings should always strive for by working to bring equality of opportunity to all people (the former group would believe that this goal has already been achieved).

Over the course of history, many different famous minds have argued their opinions on social justice. For example, the beliefs of the theologian Thomas Aquinas were largely influenced by his religion of Christianity. His thoughts on social justice were that justice was a thing created by the act of humans helping each other. Essentially, he believed that if all people followed the “Golden Rule,” of treating each other as they would want to be treated, then social justice would be achieved. A very dissimilar view was provided by Buddhism, which suggests that every action perceived as unjust is caused by karmic events, and that humans should not interfere in the procedure. In a sense, Buddhist scholars believed that the universe itself was the enforcer of social justice, although this may be stretching the religious beliefs. Other philosophies on social justice were provided by John Locke, Jeremy Bentham, and Immanuel Kant, among others.

Modernism has also added to the ever-evolving theories on social justice. In the later parts of the twentieth century, the concept of social or civil justice became strongly associated with left-wing political parties, particularly socialists or social democrats. Overall, social justice is a theory so broad, and so disputed, that it cannot be condensed into one definition, or even one essay. It has developed much over history, and the discussion over justice as a whole is largely dependent upon personal opinions, beliefs, and motives.

References

(2006, August). Social Justice. Retrieved August 28, 2006 from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice

(2003, June). Social Justice – Unpacking the Equalities Dimension. Retrieved August 28, 2006 from the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organizations:

http://www.scvo.org.uk/Equalities/resource_base/mainstreaming/sj_and_equalities.htm