Ch 14Social Justice — Class 11 Political Science, concept-first.

Justice is a lot like love: we understand it intuitively, even though we may struggle to define it precisely, and both draw strong, passionate reactions from the people who care about them.

Every culture and tradition has grappled with the question of justice, though each has understood the idea somewhat differently.

Even though there might be broad agreement in society that all people matter equally, it is not a simple matter to decide how to actually give each person his or her due.

Equal treatment, however, is not the only principle of justice — there are circumstances in which treating everybody exactly equally would itself feel unjust.

A third principle of justice recognised by a society is that it should take into account the special needs of people while distributing rewards or duties — this too is considered a way of promoting so…

To achieve social justice in society, governments might have to do more than simply ensure that laws and policies treat individuals in a fair manner.

If people were simply asked to choose the kind of society in which they would like to live, they are likely to choose one in which the rules and organisation of society allot them a privileged positio…

If deep and persistent divisions exist within a society between those who enjoy greater wealth, property and the power that goes with such ownership, and those who are excluded and deprived, we would…

Supporters of free markets maintain that, as far as possible, individuals should be free to own property and to enter into contracts and agreements with others regarding prices, wages and profits.