...Justice The dictionary defines justice as “1. the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause. 2. rightfulness or lawfulness, as of a claim or title; justness of ground or reason: to complain with justice. 3. the moral principle determining just conduct. 4. conformity to this principle, as manifested in conduct; just conduct, dealing, or treatment. 5. the administering of deserved punishment or reward.” Justice is primarily the call for a fair and even response to wrong behavior. Although it calls for fairness in all things, as a concept it most often applied to punitive measures against sinful or criminal acts rather than rewards for virtuous behavior. Justice is not simply punishment, however. It is the entire process by which guilt is determined and an appropriate response measured. Many religions base their concept of the afterlife on justice. The powers that be weigh the sins a person has committed in their life against their virtues and determine a just fate. In some cases justice places the soul in a permanent afterlife like heaven or hell. In other faiths the soul is believed to reincarnate in a new body that will teach the soul lessons it need for spiritual growth beyond the vices it engaged in in its last life. This a concept called karma, a kind of cosmic justice carried out by the universe itself. Some religions have rules and laws that are meant to be enforced by humans, like the laws in the book of...
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...1. Social justice and equity is more important than economic justice and equity. Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being Defining Social Justice Social justice encompasses economic justice. Social justice is the virtue which guides us in creating those organized human interactions we call institutions. In turn, social institutions, when justly organized, provide us with access to what is good for the person, both individually and in our associations with others. Social justice also imposes on each of us a personal responsibility to work with others to design and continually perfect our institutions as tools for personal and social development. Defining Economic Justice Economic justice, which touches the individual person as well as the social order, encompasses the moral principles which guide us in designing our economic institutions. These institutions determine how each person earns a living, enters into contracts, exchanges goods and services with others and otherwise produces an independent material foundation for his or her economic sustenance. The ultimate purpose of economic justice is to free each person to engage creatively in the unlimited work beyond economics, that of the mind and the spirit. Social justice based on the values of fairness, equality and respect...
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...Law and Justice THEORIES OF JUSTICE Plato In Plato’s major work, The Republic, he used Socrates as a mouth piece to develop his on view of justice. Socrates outlines his, i.e Plato’s view of justice both for the individual and for society. Dealing with the man first; a man’s soul has 3 elements: 1. Reason 2. Spirt 3. Appetite or desire A man is just when each of these three elements fulfils its appropriate function and there is a harmonious relationship between them. Within society there are three groups society is just hen each class fulfils its appropriate function and there is a harmonious relationship between them. Therefore Plato viewed justice as harmony between the warring elements. Distributive Justice This is concerned with fairly shaking the benefits such as money, property, family, takes and civic duties of life within an organisation. Aristotle Aristotle stressed the need for proportionality and achieving the middle ay and a proper balance between extremes. He said a ‘just state’ ill distribute its wealth on the basis of worth (merit) therefore giving to each according to their virtue and contribution to society. He stated there was a need for corrective justice to ensure that individuals can keep what they are entitled to. The role of the court is making sure the offender does not benefit from his crime ad victim does not suffer loss. In this sense, the balance or ‘middle way’ is achieved. Thomas Aquinas Illustrated his view of...
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...Personal Views on Justice and Ethics What influences the decisions we make? What foundation do we set to govern our choices? These questions surface when looking at the impact personal views have on the decisions made in our society. Many people find that their personal views are formed at an early age and shaped by environment. Views of justice and injustice are individualized across the human population, however there is usually a common, shared idea of justice at a community setting. For example, cultural groups may share a common view towards criminal punishment. It is through these shared ideas that our personal views start to develop with a base. It then becomes a personal journey to expand on this base and to form individualized and critical views on what is believed to be justice, injustice, right, or wrong. My views have been shaped mainly on environmental aspects, which include: family, upbringing, social class, religious affiliation, education, social norms of my generation, and taking bits and pieces of other views from those who I respect. As with many others, my personal views of justice started to develop at an early age with my family and environment. Family plays such a vital role in forming an individual in numerous aspects, especially from a psychological point of view. In fact, psychologist Erik Erikson formulated his psychosocial theory and stages on the conflicts a person experiences in his or her environment and its influences on human development. Keeping...
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...of justice is and how it relates to us in the real world. My personal impression of justice was doing what was expected of you by society and suffering the consequences for committing injustice. But this issue is far more complex than as we found out in reading The Republic Of Plato. In the republic, Plato speaks though his teacher Socrates and sets out to try and find the answers to two questions; what is justice and why should we be just? Looking at the Republic as a work on justice, we first have to ask ourselves why does justice have to be defended. Thrasymachus makes it clear that justices is not considered to be universally beneficial. For as long as their has been ethical thought, there has been people who have this idea that it is better to look after ones own interest then to follow rules of right and wrong. The Greeks concept of justices came from poets that would link ideas and thoughts into stories relating to the gods. In their eyes Zeus rewarded those who are good and punishes those who are bad. Not many agreed with this idea because they could see unjust men flourishing and people of Athens. Leading the controversial argument on justice were people called Sophists and their idea of justice, as we discussed in class, was we should be unjust if it is beneficial. In the Republic on page 15 Thrasymachus gives his opinion on justices stating, “I say that the just is nothing other than the advantage of the stronger”. What exactly does Thrasymachus mean by justice is nothing...
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...Consequentialism or Justice An important role in defining justice is the concept of right. Hooker (2011), " A consequentialist theory that presupposes both that justice is constituted by such-and-such and that justice is one of the things to be promoted does not explain why the components of justice are important.” (para. 12). This paper is a reflection of Team’s D thoughts about Chapter 5, “Consequentialism or Justice.” The consequentialism theory is a decision of an individual who will cause a greater good for all. An individual should take the complete relating information and consider every possible option that will provide a decision that will provide every person with greater good. The decision should not affect just one person, or a small group, but each client. At a sleepover party, a rule of not playing with fire should not be set for just one child. The rule should be set for every child in the house because fire is harmful. Every child will benefit from the rule. Distributive justice is the assistance that every human has an equal chance. It provides an ability to help make sure every person has goods equal to others, for the greater good. The goods are not meant to be materialistic, they are meant to be for safety and health for healthy living. The theory intersects with Tamara’s personal value because where Tamara lives, she sees a community that lives by social justice. Many in the neighborhood make informal contracts among each other and use the...
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...form of justice and equality in a world that lacks these attributes. The actions of Matt Fowler, the vengeful...
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...In understanding justice we must look at how the common good, optimal health, optimal well-being and social justice work together in defining justice. In this paper I will do so by using the Six Theories of Justice (Lebacqz,1986) to combine these concepts. There is not one definition of justice but many aspects / characteristics and theories that formulate to make up this concept of justice. The perspective of utilitarianism will be discussed through the likes of John Stuart Mill (as cited in Lebacqz, 1986). The basic idea of utilitarianism is mainly about whatever can produce the most good is the right thing to do. The production of what is good also fosters happiness, which is what we desire naturally. I agree with this particular concept because I feel for myself I am constantly in search of happiness and doing things and fostering relationships that make me happy. Happiness is natural and I feel that it promotes optimal health, optimal well-being and encourages the common good. I believe optimal health is the state of being stable mentally, physically and spiritually. For example, if I am stressed I am not happy mentally, physically or spiritually. Stress causes changes to each one of these areas: mentally I may be feeling overwhelmed, therefore my mood becomes more irritable; physically, stress causes me to get headaches and spiritually, stress causes me to not depend on the word of the Lord and his goodness. Proverbs 16:20 states “He that handles a matter wisely shall...
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...Justice played a very important role in Plato’s philosophy. After criticizing different theories of justice he came up with his own. He said that justice is a “human virtue” which makes a person good. Individually justice can make a person good and self-consistent. And socially it can bring a harmony to a society. So Plato’s idea of justice is all about virtue and goodness. Plato also believed that justice was an essential part of an ideal society. Because it could bring more light and cure bad things. Plato believed that the state had to be ruled by philosophers. Only they could judge what justice is, as they were wisdom. Such people in charge were capable of making accurate judgments. They had an idea of important issues in human life. According to Plato justice is understood only for enlightened people. But before Plato found his ideal term of justice, he questioned other people. The answers were all different and he summed them up. Most of the views were even rejected for some reasons. Plato’s concept of justice came from the theories of rejected people. The opinions of different great people were criticized by Plato. The point of Polemarchus’ justice is a perfect example. According to him “justice is doing good to friends and harm to enemies”. Plato doubted and had his own view on that statement. He said that doing evil to anybody wasn’t right in terms of morality. This conception of justice is about the society not an...
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...of the courtroom workgroup will be discussed at length this week. This Week in Relation to the Course This week, you explore what happens after arrest. All offenders must go through a series of steps following arrest and detention. This process involves the court system and a number of players who have an integral role in the criminal justice system, such as mental health workers, probation officers, jurors, and so on. The defense attorney, prosecutor, and judge are three of the most important positions involved in this process. The roles of the prosecutor, defense attorney, judge, and other members of the court are examined. You learn about the options that judges consider when determining punishment. You also explore the premise of determinate and indeterminate sentencing and how it affects the actions of the court. The differences between the federal and the state courts and between adult and juvenile court systems are another important aspect of this week. You discuss the various steps during the pretrial process, jury selection, and trial, as well as the process of plea bargaining and its value in the criminal justice system. Discussion of a Key Point, Thread, or Objective While reading the assigned chapters, consider the rights of the accused, such as the right to a speedy trial, legal counsel, and the right to know the charges. How do these rights factor into how the...
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...WHAT IS THE PLACE O F CORRECTIVE JUSTICE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE? BY SIMON CONNELL* I. WHY ASK "WHAT IS THE PLACE OF CORRECTIVE JUSTICE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE?" Traditionally, "justice" in criminal sentencing has been concerned with allowing society to respond to the offender's criminal wrongdoing by providing punishment, deterrence and denunciation. Corrective justice, the notion that a person who wrongfully harms someone else should put that harm right, has traditionally been associated with compensation and the civil law. Compensation has. increasingly become a function of the criminal law in New Zealand, bringing with it the philosophical baggage of corrective justice. A key part of the traditional notion of "justice" in criminal sentencing is that the offender's penalty should be proportional to their wrongdoing. This is refiected in the "totality principle": that the totality of the offender's penalty should refiect the totality of their wrongdoing.' For corrective justice to be done, the offender^ must provide compensation to the victim that makes up for the harm that has been caused, not compensation that is proportional to the offender's wrongdoing. However, a morally repugnant act can result in minimal loss, while a far less blameworthy act can result in catastrophic loss. As the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Personal Injury in New Zealand' puts it: "Reprehensible conduct can be followed by feather blows, while a moment's inadvertence could call down the heavens."...
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...Organizational Justice In today’s developing work life, organizational justice is increasingly important to the welfare of the organization, managers, and employees. Organizational justice shows how employees view the fairness of work-related issues in the workplace and the trust they have in the organization and its management. According to Burge, the study of organizational justice is important for three reasons: 1. Justice is a social aspect that strongly affects every-day life, whether it is social or organizational. 2. The most important asset of any organization is its members, and the manner in which they are treated influences behaviors such as commitment, trust, performance, and turnover. 3. Since the global workforce is becoming more educated and skilled, workers are demanding not only better jobs with better pay, but also more respect and dignity in their work environment. (as cited in Marjani & Ardahaey, 2012, p. 125) Some theorists such as Schmink, Cropanzano, and Rupp (as cited in Marjani & Ardahaey, 2012) have stated that organizational justice is influenced by the structure of the organization and that organizational structure, justice, and ethics are potentially related. The way organizational members view the justice and the fairness they receive from the organization will affect the way they work and interact with others in their group or team. These factors, in turn greatly affect the organization’s effectiveness and efficiency. Studies...
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...Social Justice This week, I explored the role of leaders in creating team trust and social justice. At some point, the team exists as a part of a larger organization and success or failure of the team can be affected by the organization’s culture within which it resides. Hegtvedt (2004) refers to distributive justice as encompassing the distribution of both benefits and burdens to the members of a group. Hegtvedt (2004) discussed three fundamental questions: “What is justice?” “Why do people differently perceive injustice?” and also, “How do people respond to perceived injustice?” Justice can actually be comparative and proportional. People desire their outcomes to be positive, referring to rewards, honors and prestige along with being in proportion to their contributions of efforts, abilities and expertise. Individuals and groups also compare their outcomes and measure their contributions with others. This will ultimately affect whether they perceive the distribution as just or unjust. Tyler, Dienhart, and Thomas (2008) state “outcome fairness is determined by what people think they deserve.” Many professionals, political scientists, psychologists, social psychologists, sociologists, and others offer a variety of theoretical ideas to address justice analysis. Justice theory and research apply to many diverse social domains, with a heavy focus on interpersonal dynamics and organizational policies. Within an organization, the application of distributive justice principles...
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...and economic justice occurs when "all members of a society share equally in the social order, secure an equitable consideration of resources and opportunities, and enjoy their full benefit of civil liberties". An easier way to understand the concept of social and economic justice may be to consider what a lack of justice is: "when societies do not accord citizens equity and equality and when they violate their citizens' human and civil rights". Social injustice could include any social problem-domestic violence, inadequate healthcare, or substance abuse. Social justice ideally addresses these problems, but also addresses social issues-the increasing aging population, education expenses, and environmental concerns. Social workers' responsibility regarding social and economic justice is formally defined in the NASW Code of Ethics. The last section of the Code of Ethics, "the social worker's ethical responsibility to society," states that "the social worker should promote the general welfare of society." More specifically, it states "the social worker should advocate changes in policy and legislation to improve social conditions and to promote social justice." It is clear then that social workers are obligated to promote social justice - to empower people individually and collectively. This stipulation is congruent with my own personal beliefs about social justice. Influenced by my values based in Christianity and humanism, I feel action to promote social justice is a personal...
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... Web CT – to be announced Wed. 300-730 pm Phil. 334 ETHICS TOPICS COURSE: GLOB AL JUSTICE Required Texts: Rodney G. Peffer, Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Natural Environment (i.e. various published articles and unpublished essays that are components of this work that will either be put on ERES or emailed to you; there’s nothing to buy) David Schweickart, After Capitalism John Rawls, The Law of Peoples Thomas Pogge & Keith Horton (ed.), Global Ethics: Seminal Essays Thomas Pogge & Darrel Moellendorf (ed.), Global Justice: Seminal Essays Will Kymlicka, Politics in the Vernacular (Optional) E-Reserve Essays are in: Phil. 340 E-Reserves: Password = “war” Phil. 338 E-Reserves: Password = “endangered” Phil. 462 E-Reserves: Password = “worldpeace” A. Essays by Rodney G. Peffer (Peffer) B. Marxism, Morality, and Social Justice (MMSJ) I –XXI (Essays) = Essays by other authors divided into Sections All ERES Readings are in my Phil. 462 ERES unless noted otherwise. * = An important component of my next book. Jan. 26 General Introduction to Course Jan. 31 Basics of Political Philosophy/ Peffer’s Theory of Social Justice The following 6 short essays by me are in the “Introductory Materials” sub-folder of the “Essays by Rodney G. Peffer” folder of my Phil. 462 ERES. R.G. Peffer *“On...
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