Unit 3: What is a Just Society? What is Justice?

3 Big Lies Gangs Tell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WDy2eWtTj8

Distributive Justice Philosophers of distributive justice ask questions such as: Is it fair that some people work hard but make little money, while others are born rich? Is it fair when people who make important contributions to a society gain the same or fewer rewards in life as those who make no contributions at all? If some people have disabilities, through no fault of their own, is it fair that they must bear this burden without help from the rest of society?

They ask whether things like this are fair or unfair, why they are fair or unfair, and they ask how a society should deal with questions like these

Side note: other theories of justice Restorative (or compensatory) justice- addresses questions such as: should people who have been disadvantaged due to bad treatment in the past be compensated? What is fair compensation? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha0Z-Z9-AQY Retributive justice- addresses questions such as: what is fair punishment?

Basis for Distributive Justice The key question for distributive justice is: What is the basis for a just distribution of benefits and burdens in a society? Benefits: consumer goods (& money), access to education, health care, interesting and enjoyable work, free time for personal enjoyment Burdens: hard or unpleasant work, doing without benefits, devoting time and energy to care for dependents

How should things be divided? There are three main theories or viewpoints about the basis of just distribution.

Egalitarianism The view that no one deserves more or fewer benefits or burdens than anyone else; everything should be divided equally; also know as simple equality An argument in support of egalitarianism is that everyone is born randomly into a world that we didn’t design –it’s a matter of luck or circumstances Argue that there is no basis for claiming that the resulting difference in quality of life is fair Believe that active measures should be taken to see that a just distribution is achieved

Merit The principle defended by meritorians; the view that some people deserve more benefits (and fewer burdens) because of things such as their birth (ex nobility vs lower classes) The current focus of meritorians is to ask whether the effort people exert or their actual contributions are deserving of more benefits Eg: I work for two hours on my math homework and get only two questions right. Suzie works for half an hour on her math homework and gets it all right. Who should get the chocolate from the teacher the next day?

Egalitarians vs Meritorians To argue against the egalitarians, meritorians argue that even though some people may be born with some advantages, it is their abilities and work ethic that determines whether they earn the right to retain the advantages or overcome the disadvantages As a response, egalitarians argue that abilities and work ethic are also a matter of luck

Equity The view that special needs should be taken into account Argue that there is a difference between treating people justly and treating them equally; they argue that sometimes it is just to treat people unequally For eg.: using tax dollars to provide wheelchair access ramps for public buildings -the special needs of some are provided for by taxing everyone

Critics of equity argue that this leads to unfair results –who determines whose special needs get special treatment? Iris Mario Young (b 1949) –an American philosopher who applies the equity interpretation of justice to groups of people For eg, women (since they tend to have the responsibility of early childcare) should not be disadvantaged in the workplace because they have less time to devote to their early working lives than men

Restorative Justice Curio: https://curio.ca/en/video/restorative-justice-capacity-for-forgiveness- 1054/