Social+Justice


 * Social Justice** is an egalitarian viewpoint that promotes equal [|economic, political and social rights] and opportunities for all. Although a common definition of social justice is not widely agreed upon, the concept rests on two main principles. First, it promotes the redistribution of goods and resources to improve the conditions of the disadvantaged and second, this redistribution is done under the principle that the relatively disadvantaged have rights and are able to make claims on the rest of the society. Social Justice is a part of [|Catholic social teaching], Episcopalians' [|Social Gospel] and is one of the [|Four Pillars of the Green Party] and is a primarily [|Leftist] and [|Liberal] concept.

** Christianity/Catholicism ** Much of what we know of social justice today stems from the teachings of Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) who believed that justice is a natural duty owed by one person to another and not enforced by any human-made law. His beliefs reflect the Christian view that, before God, all people are equal and must treat each other with respect.

Elements of social justice can also be found in present-day Catholic social teaching, which consists of those aspects of Roman Catholic doctrine which relate to matters dealing with the collective aspect of humanity. Two of the seven key areas of Catholic social teaching pertain to social justice:


 * Life and dignity of the human person: The foundational principle of all "Catholic Social Teaching" is the sanctity of all human life and the inherent dignity of every human person. Human life must be valued above all material possessions.
 * Preferential option for the poor and vulnerable: Catholics believe the poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation. People are called to look at public policy decisions in terms of how they affect the poor.

Social Justice also plays a large role in the [|United Methodist Church], which was founded upon a Christian social justice movement.

**Major Influences of Moral Philosophers**:

**[|John Locke]**(1632-1704), widely known as the Father of Liberalism was a utilitarian theorist who argued that people have innate natural goodness and beauty, therefore if individuals rationally pursue their private happiness and pleasure, the interests of the society or the general welfare will be looked after fairly. Locke characterised most of [|Christianity]as utilitarian since believers see utility in rewards in the afterlife for their actions on Earth.

**Immanuel Kant** (1724-1804) believed that actions are morally right if they are motivated by duty without regard to any personal goal, desire, motive, or self-interest. Kant's moral theory is, therefore, deontological and based on the concept of abject selflessness. In his view, the only relevant feature of moral law is its universalisability.

**John Rawls**(1921-2002) was a political philosopher who is largely associated with the concept of social justice in the latter part of the twentieth century. Rawls was influenced by the utilitarian insights of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, the social contract ideas of Locke, and the categorical imperative ideas of Kant. In his book "A Theory of Justice" (1971) Rawls first introduced his theory of justice as fairness, a viewpoint that suggests that when making decisions one must always consider the greater good and aim to be equitable. It was through this justice as fairness model that Rawls created his two principles of justice, which in turn fostered the ideas of the original position and the veil of ignorance (For more see Rawls, John).

A Theory of Justice also sparked a revival in political philosophy. Given this, the contribution of his thought is difficult to assess. There is little doubt, however, that A Theory of Justice is one of the most important works in philosophy in the latter half of the 20th century. It is also a work that reached beyond the confines of the academy to help influence the reality about which it speaks: the world of our political order .

** Criticisms ** Critics of Social Justice argue that the promotion of equality through comprehensive government action often results in favouritism towards classes of people, restrictions of personal liberty and excessive regulatory burdens. Actual justice, they argue, holds everyone to the same standards and does not penalize those who have become successfull, nor reward failure, but holds everyone to the same standards regardless of their race, ethnic origin, financial condition, religion or beliefs.

People concerned with social justice may hold some or all of the following beliefs:
 * Historical inequities should be corrected by governmental action until the actual inequities no longer exist.
 * Temporary favoritism towards some classes of people is acceptable if it advances important public policy goals.
 * It is government's responsibility to ensure a basic quality of life for all its citizens.

People who are critics of this notion may hold some or all of the following beliefs:
 * Favoritism as a policy is inherently unjust.
 * Those that succeed should not be penalized by being compelled to support those who do not.
 * Personal liberty is more important than government's social policies.
 * Social Justice is just a cover for social engineering, which is expensive and always fails.



** Social Justice Movements ** There are a number of organizations and groups who actively work to promote social justice in society. Some subcategories include: immigrant rights, economic justice, education, women and gender and youth among others.