The Role of Justice in Society - 2403 Words

Through the egalitarian reasoning of John Rawls and the act-utilitarianist perspective of J.J.C. Smart, I will analyze the concept of justice. In accordance with Rawls, I intend to argue that any changes in society that will increase the burden carried by the poorest 5% are unjust, even if these changes increase the average level of happiness for the other 95%. With regard to ethics, justice is defined as fairness, where all situations should be treated alike. For one to exhibit justice, one must portray the quality of being fair and reasonable in all situations. While egalitarians evaluate justice based on equality, utilitarians are only interested in justice as a means to an end. Smart advocates the principle of utility, which defines†¦show more content†¦The two parts of the second principle are ‘the difference principle and ‘the principle of fair equality of opportunity. The difference principle makes justifications for inequalities as long the situation of every one affected is improved. Equality of opportunity refers to the distribution of income and wealth and to the design of organizations that make use of difference in authority. As with the difference principle, inequalities in wealth, power, and status are permitted, as long as the advantages produced by the inequities benefit everyone. The ordering of the second principle implies that defiance of equality of opportunity cannot be rationalized by the possibility of economic or social advantages. The ideas set forth by Rawls influential book A Theory of Justice received considerable praise and attention from the scholastic community. As with all publications, Rawls work has been critiqued by other philosophers. The most prominent objection to Rawls concept of justice, and the only area I would criticize, is the difference principle. As a libertarian, Robert Nozick offers one of the most renowned arguments against difference principle. Nozick argued in his book Anarchy, State and Utopia that equality through fair distribution will indefinitely intrude on civilianShow MoreRelated The Role of Justice in Society Essay2374 Words   |  10 PagesThe Role of Justice in Society Through the egalitarian reasoning of John Rawls and the act-utilitarianist perspective of J.J.C. Smart, I will analyze the concept of justice. In accordance with Rawls, I intend to argue that any changes in society that will increase the burden carried by the poorest 5% are unjust, even if these changes increase the average level of happiness for the other 95%. With regard to ethics, justice is defined as fairness, where all situations should be treated alikeRead MoreThe Notions of Justice in The Republic and Antigone1707 Words   |  7 Pagesnotions of justice are presented plainly. 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By determiningRead MoreIndividuals vs. Society1024 Words   |  5 Pagesindividuals role in society can vary with the number themes the characters exhibit. When there are signs of fate, cruelties, weaknesses, and desires for justice and catharsis the role of an individual becomes more complicated. In Antigone, most of those themes are shown thus a single persons influence or role on society is very small and complicated to attain. However in The Lottery the society has most of the control and there is not many signs of those characteristics so the role of a person is