Social Justice Meaning, Definition and Scope.pptx

social justice

1. SOCIAL JUSTICE Meaning, Context and Scope

2. Introduction The term ‘Social Justice’ is derived from a combination of two terms – ‘social’ and ‘justice’. While the latter implies fair opportunities or equality to all, the former indicates towards various elements of a society, like class, gender, ethnicity/race, religion, and caste, among others. Now, since these elements are hierarchically arranged in any given society, it paves way for discrimination, often perpetuated from the top to the bottom. This acts as an impediment in ensuring equality to all, irrespective of their location in the hierarchy of these elements. Thus, taken together ‘social justice’ implies ensuring fairness in opportunities.

3. The CONTEXT The term ‘social justice’ was first used in 1840 by a Sicilian priest and Jesuit scholar, Luigi Taparelli d'Azeglio , who was also an advisor to the Vatican. While the exact usage of the term was not indexed then in the early 19 th century, the contemporary scholars* believe that he used the term to make a case for why poor and disenfranchised people should be treated the same as others in society . (*Source: Oduaran , Akpovire B., 2019, Reclaiming Commitment to Social Justice through Relevant Adult and Continuing Education in Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa Education Review, 16(6), pp. 151-64) Later, at the end of the 19th century, social reformers started using the term ‘social justice’ to make an appeal to the ruling classes to attend to the needs of the new masses of uprooted peasants who had become urban workers, or dispossessed during the rise of capitalistic era.

4. Now, in the 20 th century, John Stuart Mill gave social justice an almost omnipotent status in his work, Utilitarianism, Liberty and Representative Government (1960: 57-58): “... we should treat all equally well ... who have deserved equally well of us, and that society should treat all equally well who have deserved equally well of it, that is, who have deserved equally well absolutely. This is the highest abstract standard of social and distributive justice, towards which all institutions, and the efforts of all virtuous citizens, should be made in the utmost degree to converge .”

5. This academic contribution by Mill came against the backdrop of a certain socio-political and economic events of global significance like the Wars, the Great Depression and the annihilation of the colonial empires. Another significant development that led to the codification of a moral code with ‘social justice’ as a core value, in the same period was the United Nations Charter in 1945 and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights drafted in 1948.

6. Definition Most conceptions of social justice refer to an egalitarian society 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. Social justice means availability of equal social opportunities for the development of personality to all the people in the society, without any discrimination on the basis of caste, sex or race. No one should be deprived, because of these differences, those social conditions which are essential for social development. (Source: Ahmad, Wasim S. and M. Ashraf Ali, 2006, Social Justice and the Constitution of India, The Indian Journal of Political Science, LXVII(4), pp. 767-82)

7. All social primary goods – liberty and opportunity, income and wealth, and the basis of self-respect are to be distributed equally unless an unequal distribution of any or all of these goods is to the advantage of the least favoured . (Source: John Rawls. Theory of Justice. Delhi: Universal Law Pub, 2002. p. 44) According to B. R. Ambedkar , social justice is a means to create an ideal or a just society. To him a just society is a casteless society, based on the principles of social justice and a combination of three components: liberty, equality and fraternity. (Source: Dr . Babasaheb Ambedkar . Writings and Speeches, Vol. 3. Mumbai: Government of Maharashtra, 1987. p. 95)

8. Plato’s moral philosophy Notions of social justice typically find their derivation in Plato's moral philosophy. The Greek philosopher Plato saw justice as the true principle of social life. In his book The Republic, Plato discusses the concept of justice through a dialogue with his friends like Cephalus , Polemarchus and Glaucon . Cephalus says justice consists in speaking the truth and paying one’s debt, while Polemarchus explains justice is in giving to each man what is proper for him. “Justice is the art which gives good to friends and evil to enemies.” Glaucon argues justice is in “the interest of the weaker”. Plato rejected all these definitions because they treated justice as something external and artificial. For Plato, justice is the primary moral value and is intrinsically linked with other essential and moral qualities.

9. Plato’s moral philosophy According to Plato, in a society different classes must be given what is due to them and that no class shall be allowed to dominate other classes. To him, justice is the quality of the soul. It does not depend upon any external source or power and is the voice of conscience of the man. He stated that human personality is a result of three tendencies: knowledge, physical tendency, and spiritual tendency. The tendency of spirit should rule the other tendencies. In a society, people with high spiritual tendencies must rule the state and follow the ideals of reason, justice, courage, and temperance. Justice means harmony among the people and between people and society. 

10. Distributive justice Another Greek philosopher, Aristotle, propounded the concept of ‘distributive justice ’. This approach concerns the distribution of goods , services, honour and offices among the citizens of the state. It believes that the principle of distribution is based upon the worth or virtue of an individual. It recognizes the distinction between the worthy and the non-worthy. It observes that a man’s rights, duties and rewards correspond to his merit and social contribution. As a response, Aristotelian distributive justice is another name for proportionate equality. The word ‘justice’ means fair treatment of people: which means law based on the principles of justice and rationality, that is, equal rights and justice for all, irrespective of class, sex, race or caste distinctions. It means that the state should deal with people correctly and completely; it should be morally fair and reasonable; and it should frame just laws and enact them justly .

11. Theories of social justice UTILITARIANISM – Jeremy Bentham MARXISM – Karl Marx EXISTENTIALISM – Nietzsche and Manu John Rawl’s Theory of Justice AMBEDKARISM

12. Conclusion The concept of social justice is multi-dimensional and has been viewed differently by scholars of law, philosophy and political science. The term social justice is quite comprehensive and presents as the balancing wheel between the haves and the have not’s. Social justice is the equitable distribution of social, material and political resources to all citizens. It seeks to remove all social, economic and political inequalities and discriminations, and affords equal opportunities to all men and women in social affairs and economic activities. Social justice is the product of social injustice; it seeks to ensure equality of status and opportunity to all. In general, it may be defined as “the right of the weak, poor, aged, destitute, children, women and other under-privileged persons in society”.