Overview

“No justice, no peace.” But what is justice? Is it equality? Freedom? Getting what you deserve?

Core Idea

Justice as Fairness (Rawls): Imagine you are designing a society but you don’t know who you will be in it (rich/poor, smart/dumb, healthy/sick). This is the Veil of Ignorance. You would choose a society where the worst-off person is as well-off as possible (Maximin).

Formal Definition (if applicable)

Distributive Justice: How resources (wealth, opportunity) are shared. Retributive Justice: How punishment is meted out. Restorative Justice: Repairing the harm caused by crime.

Intuition

  • Libertarianism (Nozick): Justice is liberty. If I make money fairly, it’s mine. Taxing me to help the poor is theft (forced labor).
  • Utilitarianism: Justice is maximizing happiness. If taking $1 from a billionaire gives $100 of happiness to a starving person, do it.

Examples

  • Affirmative Action: Is it just to treat people differently to correct past injustice?
  • Universal Basic Income: Does everyone deserve a living wage?
  • Capital Punishment: Is it ever just to kill a criminal?

Common Misconceptions

  • “Fair means equal.” (Not always. Is it fair to give a wheelchair to someone who can walk? No. Equity vs. Equality.)
  • “The law is justice.” (Laws can be unjust. Apartheid was legal.)
  • Social Contract: The agreement between citizens and the state.
  • Meritocracy: The idea that power/wealth should go to the most able.
  • Human Rights: Universal entitlements.

Applications

  • Tax Policy: Progressive taxation.
  • Criminal Justice Reform: Ending mass incarceration.
  • Global Justice: What do rich nations owe poor nations?

Criticism / Limitations

Rawls assumes we are risk-averse. Maybe we would gamble on being rich?

Further Reading

  • Rawls, A Theory of Justice
  • Nozick, Anarchy, State, and Utopia