Social Justice

Elements of Social Justice

The complexities of this concept can be outlined through four of its features. First, the concept of social justice is normative—it involves judgments about people, and judgments about how social structures function in people's lives. How should people act in order to be just? How can social institutions facilitate justice? Such questions have no absolute answers. Second, unlike criminal justice systems—which focus on determining guilt or innocence, punishing the guilty, and compensating the victims—social justice issues address the distribution of social and economic “resources” such as position, income, and status. Such resources can be scarce, leading to competing claims for them. In turn, these competing claims can test the limits of individual generosity—limits that may be inherent in human nature, some say. Third, achieving social justice may involve applying different principles in different social arenas. Modern societies generally recognize seven principles of social justice: equality, need, ability, effort, productivity, public utility, and supply and demand. In the United States, for example, voting rights are distributed based on the equality principle, welfare payments are based on need, and employment is based on ability—ideally speaking. Fourth, it is commonly agreed that the principle of social justice does not prohibit unequal treatment of society's members, but arbitrary treatment. Since people are not equal in all respects, this logic suggests, they should be treated in accordance with their relevant similarities and differences. Those differences should be addressed proportionately, impartially, and consistently—an idea that can be traced to Aristotle.

Philosophical Foundations

While the term social justice is of recent origin, the ideal of the fair distribution of resources is both ancient and universal; it preoccupied both Aristotle and Plato. Aristotle formulated the concept of “distributive justice,” arguing that while equal individuals should be treated equally, the treatment of unequal individuals should be adjusted in proportion to their relevant similarities and differences. Such an allocation prevents arbitrary treatment, said Aristotle, but it allows for just inequalities. Plato emphasized the role of social justice in societal stability. Envisioning society as a class system, Plato conceptualized justice as giving every person his due. He reasoned that if individuals are allowed to occupy the position to which they are entitled by virtue of their [Page 1310]capacities and training, society will be assured of the functions and services associated with those positions, thereby advancing the highest good of the state and its members.

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