Justice
Individuals are different in terms of their opportunities, physical and mental
capabilities, financial and social statuses, and by other criteria. At the same time,
most people live in societies ñ therefore norms regulating interactions and
behavior in society were developed. Historically, these norms were often
beneficial for the few privileged members of a society, while other people had to
deal with mistreatment and violations. This is where the concept of justice comes
in. Philosophers were looking for a form of rule, or for a social organization that
would embrace and satisfy the interests of all members of a society. Some of
these philosophers ñ such as Plato, for example ñ saw justice in public ownership
of all goods produced within a community; others believed that an access to
goods should be provided in accordance to the contribution which a person had
made to social affairs. It may seem paradoxical, but even now the concept and
the understanding of justice is debated. According to Dictionary.com, justice is
synonymous to such concepts as righteousness, lawfulness, and equality. As an
ethical category, justice can be defined as a principle of fairness, according to
which similar cases should be treated alike, and a punishment should be
proportionate to the offense; the same refers to rewards for achievements. The
Merriam-Webster Online dictionary defines justice as an impartial adjustment of
conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments; the
establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity.
As a broader meaning, justice is defined as a conformity to the ideal of just or
right doing. Justice in its legal and ethical aspects can be defined as acting
according to the ideal of fair-doing recognized in a particular society, and
treating a person or their doings in accordance to this ideal and state laws. At the
same time, justice, law, and norms are not equivalent; for example, a punishment
for a crime judged fairly according to the existing laws does not necessarily look
fair in the eyes of public, as it was in Anders Breivik ís case. Breivik, the
Norwegian terrorist who killed 77 people in July, 2011, was sentenced to 21
years of imprisonment (The New York Times), which is unfairly unequal to the
scale of the crime he committed. Referring to justice in its socioeconomic aspect,
it is rather difficult to provide an unequivocal definition, as most of them are
closely connected to various political and economic doctrines. Simply put, justice
can be defined as a way of allocating and distributing material and intangible
benefits (such as education, employment opportunities, access to political life) in
a society in a way that does not infringe or insult any individual. Justice is a
concept which can be understood in different ways, especially in its
socioeconomic aspect. Basically, justice can be defined as acting according to the
ideal of fair-doing recognized in a particular society, and treating a person or
their doings in accordance to this ideal and state laws. In its economical aspect,
justice is a way of distributing material and intangible goods in a way that does
not insult anyone.
4A362017(James,石彥山)