12-Justice & Equality

Miko Ferine

Block of Bioethics & Humanities

It is thought that justice is equality, and so it is……

though not for everybody, but only for those who are equal

It is thought that inequality is just, for so indeed it is……

though not for everybody, but for those who are unequal

(Aristotle)

Students should be able to :

Describe the concept of justice, equity & equality

Identify ethical issues involved in justice & equality

Identify conflicts related to justice & equality

Identify the reason of the conflict

Justice : generally similar to fairness

Justice has to do with how human beings treat each other

Justice is past looking

Treatment is accordance with the condition/behavior of the related person

Justice is individualistic, collectivism is considered unethical

Distributive ensuring that each person receives a fair share of public

resources what can be considered as fair will depend on the concept of

just in the society

Procedural ensuring a fair process for making decisions and settling

disputes

Retributive ensures punishment of wrongdoers it is morally deserved for those individuals to suffer

proportionate punishment

Restorative attempts to repair harm done in the past

Social combination of the previous types as applied to a society

in which individuals and groups receive fair treatment and a just share of the benefits of society

Precondition of distributive justice scarcity of resources

technology developments

normativity : what should be right/wrong or good/bad

Authoritarian what the highest authority decrees is just

Libertarian what an individual

decides to do with his or her own property is just

resources should be allocated as reward system for the individual effort

individual freedom, minimum state intervention

Utilitarian what most contributes to the greatest good of the

greatest number is just

maximum benefit/utilisation – resources should be allocated for the most beneficial purpose of the greatest numbers of the society

it considers to be just to sacrifice the minority, for the greater benefit of majority of the society

Egalitarian justice is achieved when everybody has equitable access

to the societal resources that they need

socialist view, state intervention

Restorative justice requires favouring previously disadvantaged

individuals or group

prioritise resources for the disadvantaged individuals or group

Equality : sameness

Equality has to do with how human beings treat the others as the same

Equity as proporsional equality?

Equity : fairness in society

Equity has to do with how human beings treat the others

Equity is about a person’s right and responsibility in the society

Equity and discrimination?

Discriminare (Latin) : distinguish between

Discrimination : for irrelevant reason

Equity : for relevant reason (merit)

Libertarianism emphasizes justice as equity, with justice being distributed based on merit: one’s effort, skill or contribution

Egalitarianism emphasizes justice as equality, with justice being distributed based on nee

It is important to note that there are no purely libertarian or purely egalitarian governments