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{{Short description|Concept in political philosophy}}
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{{for multi|the early-20th-century periodical|Social Justice (periodical)|the academic journal established in 1974|Social Justice (journal)}}
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] surrounded by signs that demand social justice, September 2011]]'''Social justice''' generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of ] and ], that understands and values ], and that recognizes the dignity of every human being.<ref name="autogenerated2006">Education and Social Justice By J. Zajda, S. Majhanovich, V. Rust, 2006, ISBN 1402047215</ref><ref name="autogenerated2005">Nursing ethics: across the curriculum and into practice By Janie B. Butts, Karen Rich, Jones and Bartlett Publishers 2005, ISBN 9780763747350</ref><ref>http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-act-135-of-2004.pdf</ref>
{{use American English|date=November 2017}}
'''Social justice''' is ] in relation to the distribution of ], ], and ]s within a ] where individuals' rights are recognized and protected.<ref name="Oxford">{{cite web |title=social justice |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100515279|website=Oxford reference |access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Abbott |first1=Katherine |title=Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research |date=2014 |publisher=Springer |location=Dordrecht |isbn=978-94-007-0753-5 |pages=6115–6119 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_2772 |language=en |chapter=Social Justice|doi=10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_2772 }}</ref> In ] and ], the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fulfill their ] and receive their due from society.<ref>], '']'' (ca 350 BC)</ref><ref name="Augustine">{{cite book |url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5cQDUWg9Kd8djVCRFoyQTZYS0k |title = "Augustine on Justice," a Chapter in Augustine and Social Justice |publisher = Lexington Books |author = Clark, Mary T. |year = 2015 |pages = 3–10 |isbn=978-1-4985-0918-3 }}</ref><ref name="Global Dynamics">{{cite book |url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5cQDUWg9Kd8eXZMWHU3ckpQVUk |title = Social Justice, Global Dynamics: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives |publisher = Taylor and Francis |author1 = Banai, Ayelet |author2 = Ronzoni, Miriam |author3 = Schemmel, Christian |year = 2011 |location = Florence |isbn=978-0-203-81929-6 }}</ref> In the current movements for social justice, the emphasis has been on the breaking of barriers for ], the creation of ], and ].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5cQDUWg9Kd8V3hpa0V1ekFQZms |title = Seeking Social Justice Through Globalization Escaping a Nationalist Perspective |publisher = Pennsylvania State University Press |author = Kitching, G. N. |year = 2001 |location = University Park, Pa |pages = 3–10 |isbn=978-0-271-02377-9 }}</ref><ref name="Globalization and Social Justice">{{cite journal |url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5cQDUWg9Kd8R2tWbXFmelhzVDA |title = Globalization and Social Justice |author = Hillman, Arye L. |journal = The Singapore Economic Review |year = 2008 |volume = 53 |issue = 2 |pages = 173–189 |doi=10.1142/s0217590808002896}}</ref><ref name="Movements in Time">{{cite book |url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5cQDUWg9Kd8MWpSSGRWUllXTEE |title = Movements in Time Revolution, Social Justice, and Times of Change |publisher = Cambridge Scholars Pub |author1 = Lawrence, Cecile |author2 = Natalie Churn |name-list-style = amp |year = 2012 |location = Newcastle upon Tyne, UK |pages = xi–xv |isbn=978-1-4438-4552-6 }}</ref><ref name="The Question of Social Justice">{{cite journal |url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5cQDUWg9Kd8Qm8zcHRRQ0xFN2c |title = Globalization and the Question of Social Justice |author = Agartan, Kaan |journal = Sociology Compass |year = 2014 |volume = 8 |issue = 6 |pages = 903–915 |doi = 10.1111/soc4.12162 }}</ref><ref name="A propositional political approach">{{cite book |url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5cQDUWg9Kd8MTk1Qkp2b0ZaNDg |title = Globalization Development and Social Justice: A propositional political approach |publisher = Taylor and Francis |author = El Khoury, Ann |year = 2015 |location = Florence |pages = 1–20 |isbn=978-1-317-50480-1 }}</ref>{{Excessive citations inline|date=October 2021}} Social justice assigns rights and duties in the ]s of society, which enables people to receive the basic benefits and burdens of cooperation. The relevant institutions often include ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] of ], to ensure ], and ].<ref>John Rawls, ''A Theory of Justice'' (1971) 4, "the principles of social justice: they provide a way of assigning rights and duties in the basic institutions of society and they define the appropriate distribution of benefits and burdens of social co-operation."</ref>


Modernist interpretations that relate justice to a ] to society are mediated by differences in cultural traditions, some of which emphasize the individual responsibility toward society and others the equilibrium between access to power and its responsible use.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5cQDUWg9Kd8cTlPd2dzZ3d3TG8 |title = The Antecedents of Help Giving in Chinese Culture: Attribution, Judgment of Responsibility, Expectation Change and the Reaction of Affect |author1 = Aiqing Zhang |author2 = Feifei Xia |author3 = Chengwei Li |journal = Social Behavior and Personality |year = 2007 |volume = 35 |issue = 1 |pages = 135–142 |doi=10.2224/sbp.2007.35.1.135}}</ref> Hence, social justice is invoked today while reinterpreting historical figures such as ], in philosophical debates about differences among human beings, in efforts for gender, ethnic, and ], for advocating justice for ], prisoners, the ], and the physically and developmentally ].<ref name="Human Nature">{{cite book |url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5cQDUWg9Kd8MWRYV0xVUzNlRlU |title = Nature, Human Nature, and Human Difference: Race in Early Modern Philosophy |publisher = Princeton University Press |author = Smith, Justin E. H. |year = 2015 |page = 17 |isbn=978-1-4008-6631-1 }}</ref><ref name="Migration, Gender and Social Justice">{{cite book |url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5cQDUWg9Kd8RGJGb0RiZEc0NzA |title = Migration, Gender and Social Justice: Perspectives on Human Insecurity |publisher = Springer |author = Trương, Thanh-Đạm |year = 2013 |pages = 3–26 |isbn=978-3-642-28012-2 }}</ref><ref name="We Cannot Clap">{{cite journal |url=https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5cQDUWg9Kd8bERZaWVUVGRPLTA |title = We Cannot Clap with One Hand: Global Socio–Political Differences in Social Support for People with Visual Impairment |author = Teklu, Abebe Abay |journal = International Journal of Ethiopian Studies |year = 2010 |volume = 5 |issue = 1 |pages = 93–105 }}</ref>
The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by the ] ] in 1840 based on the teachings of St. ] and given further exposure in 1848 by ].<ref name="autogenerated2006"/><ref name="autogenerated2005"/><ref>Battleground criminal justice by Gregg Barak, Greenwood publishing group 2007, ISBN 9780313340406</ref><ref>Engineering and Social Justice By Donna Riley, Morgan and Claypool Publishers 2008, ISBN 9781598296266</ref><ref>Spirituality, social justice, and language learning By David I. Smith, Terry A. Osborn, Information Age Publishing 2007, ISBN 1593115997</ref> The word has taken on a very controverted and variable meaning, depending on whom it is used. The idea was elaborated by the moral theologian ], who initiated the concept of a ]. ] also used the term in his publications in the 1930s and the 1940s. It is a part of ], the Episcopalians' ], and is one of the ] upheld by ]. Social justice as a secular concept, distinct from religious teachings, emerged mainly in the late twentieth century, influenced primarily by philosopher ]. Some tenets of social justice have been adopted by those on the ] of the political spectrum.


While concepts of social justice can be found in classical and Christian philosophical sources, from early Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle to ]s Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas, the term ''social justice'' finds its earliest uses in the late eighteenth century, albeit with unclear theoretical or practical meanings.<ref>J. Zajda, S. Majhanovich, V. Rust, ''Education and Social Justice'', 2006, {{ISBN|1-4020-4721-5}}</ref><ref>Clark, Mary T. (2015). ''"Augustine on Justice," a Chapter in Augustine and Social Justice''. Lexington Books. pp.&nbsp;3–10. {{ISBN|978-1-4985-0918-3}}.</ref><ref>Paine, Thomas. ''Agrarian Justice''. Printed by R. Folwell, for Benjamin Franklin Bache.</ref> The use of the term was early on subject to accusations of redundancy and of rhetorical flourish, perhaps but not necessarily related to amplifying one view of distributive justice.<ref name=":1">Behr, Thomas. ''Social Justice and Subsidiarity: Luigi Taparelli and the Origins of Modern Catholic Social Thought'' (Washington DC: Catholic University of American Press, December 2019).</ref> In the coining and definition of the term in the natural law social scientific treatise of ], in the early 1840s,<ref>Luigi Taparelli, SJ, ''Saggio teoretico di dritto naturale appogiato sul fatto'' (Palermo: Antonio Muratori, 1840-43), Sections 341-364.</ref> Taparelli established the natural law principle that corresponded to the evangelical principle of brotherly love—i.e. social justice reflects the duty one has to one's other self in the interdependent abstract unity of the human person in society.<ref>Behr, Thomas. ''Social Justice and Subsidiarity: Luigi Taparelli and the Origins of Modern Catholic Social Thought''(Washington DC: Catholic University of American Press, December 2019), pp. 149-154.</ref> After the ], the term was popularized generically through the writings of ].<ref>Rosmini-Serbati, ''The Constitution under Social Justice.'' trans. A. Mingardi (Lanham: Lexington Books, 2007).</ref><ref>Pérez-Garzón, Carlos Andrés (14 January 2018). "Unveiling the Meaning of Social Justice in Colombia". ''Mexican Law Review''. '''10''' (2): 27–66. {{ISSN|2448-5306}}. Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.</ref>
Social justice is based on the concepts of human rights and equality and involves a greater degree of ] through ]ation, ], or even ]. These policies aim to achieve what developmental economists refer to as more ] than may currently exist in some societies, and to manufacture ] in cases where incidental inequalities appear in a ]. The Constitution of the ] affirms that "universal and lasting ] can be established only if it is based upon social justice."<ref>]</ref> Furthermore, the ] treats social justice as a purpose of the ].<ref>Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, Part II, D.</ref>


In the late industrial revolution, ] American legal scholars began to use the term more, particularly ] and ]. From the early 20th century it was also embedded in ] and institutions; the preamble to establish the ] recalled that "universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice." In the later 20th century, social justice was made central to the philosophy of the ], primarily by ] in '']'' (1971). In 1993, the ] treats social justice as a purpose of ].<ref>]</ref><ref>Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, Part II, D.</ref>
==Theories of social justice==
===Social justice from religious traditions===
====Judaism====
{{Main|Tikkun olam}}
In ''To Heal a Fractured World: The Ethics of Responsibility'', Rabbi ] states that social justice has a central place in ]. One of Judaism’s most distinctive and challenging ideas is its ethics of responsibility reflected in the concepts of ] ("gladness" or "joy"), ] ("the religious obligation to perform charity and philanthropic acts"), chesed ("deeds of kindness"), and ] ("repairing the world").


== History ==
====Christianity====
{{Main|Social contract|Justice|Corrective justice|Distributive justice}}
===== Catholicism =====
]
{{Main|Catholic social teaching}}
The different concepts of ], as discussed in ancient ], were typically centered upon the community.
Catholic social teaching consists of those aspects of Roman Catholic doctrine which relate to matters dealing with the collective aspect of humanity. A distinctive feature of the Catholic social doctrine is their concern for the poorest members of society. Two of the seven key areas<ref></ref> of "Catholic social teaching" are pertinent 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 Jesus taught that on the ] God will ask what each person did to help the poor and needy: "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."<ref>] 25:40.</ref> The Catholic Church believes that through words, prayers and deeds one must show solidarity with, and compassion for, the poor. The moral test of any society is "how it treats its most vulnerable members. 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."<ref>Option for the Poor, , Office for Social Justice, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.</ref>


]
Even before it was propounded in the Catholic social doctrine, social justice appeared regularly in the history of the Catholic Church:
* ] wrote in '']'' that it would be an ideal state that "every member of the community must be assigned to the class for which he finds himself best fitted."<ref>], '']'' (ca 380BC)</ref> In an article for J.N.V University, author D.R. Bhandari says, "Justice is, for Plato, at once a part of human virtue and the bond, which joins man together in society. It is the identical quality that makes good and social. Justice is an order and duty of the parts of the soul, it is to the soul as health is to the body. Plato says that justice is not mere strength, but it is a harmonious strength. Justice is not the right of the stronger but the effective harmony of the whole. All moral conceptions revolve about the good of the whole-individual as well as social".<ref name="bu.edu">{{cite web |url=https://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Anci/AnciBhan.htm |title = 20th WCP: Plato's Concept of Justice: An Analysis |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005111127/http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Anci/AnciBhan.htm |archive-date = 5 October 2016}}</ref>
* The term "social justice" was adopted by the ] ] in the 1840s, based on the work of St. ]. He wrote extensively in his journal ''Civiltà Cattolica'', engaging both ] and ] theories from a ] viewpoint. His basic premise was that the rival economic theories, based on subjective ] thinking, undermined the unity of society present in ] ]; neither the liberal capitalists nor the communists concerned themselves with public ] ].
* Plato believed rights existed only between free people, and the law should take "account in the first instance of relations of inequality in which individuals are treated in proportion to their worth and only secondarily of relations of equality." Reflecting this time when ] and subjugation of women was typical, ancient views of justice tended to reflect the rigid class systems that still prevailed. On the other hand, for the privileged groups, strong concepts of fairness and the community existed. ] was said by ] to require that people were distributed goods and assets according to their merit.<ref>'']'' V.3</ref>
* ], who studied under Taparelli, published in 1891 the ] '']'' (On the Condition of the Working Classes), rejecting both socialism and capitalism, while defending labor unions and private property. He stated that society should be based on cooperation and not ] and ]. In this document, Leo set out the Catholic Church's response to the social instability and labor conflict that had arisen in the wake of industrialization and had led to the rise of socialism. The Pope advocated that the role of the State was to promote social justice through the protection of rights, while the Church must speak out on social issues in order to teach correct social principles and ensure class harmony.
]
* The encyclical '']'' (On Reconstruction of the Social Order, literally "in the fortieth year") of 1931 by ], encourages a ], ], and advocates that social justice is a personal ] as well as an attribute of the social order, saying that society can be just only if individuals and institutions are just.
* ] (through Plato's dialogue '']'') is credited with developing the idea of a ], whereby people ought to follow the rules of a society, and accept its burdens because they have accepted its benefits.<ref>], '']'' (ca 380 BC)</ref> During the Middle Ages, religious scholars particularly, such as ] continued discussion of justice in various ways, but ultimately connected being a good citizen to the purpose of serving God. The ] were a medieval sect that advocated for social justice.<ref name="Murray 2018 p. 106">{{cite book | last=Murray | first=S. | title=Post-Christendom: Church and Mission in a Strange New World. Second Edition | publisher=Cascade Books | series=After Christendom | year=2018 | isbn=978-1-5326-1797-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X_BGDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA106 | access-date=2023-03-30 | page=106}}</ref>
* ]'s encyclical '']'' ("God is Love") of 2006 claims that justice is the defining concern of the state and the central concern of politics, and not of the church, which has charity as its central social concern. It said that the laity has the specific responsibility of pursuing social justice in civil society and that the church's active role in social justice should be to inform the debate, using reason and natural law, and also by providing moral and spiritual formation for those involved in politics.
* The official Catholic doctrine on '''social justice''' can be found in the book ''Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church'', published in 2004 and updated in 2006, by the ].


After the ] and ], the modern concept of social justice, as developing human potential, began to emerge through the work of a series of authors. ] in '']'' (1677) contended that the one true aim of life should be to acquire "a human character much more stable than own", and to achieve this "pitch of perfection... The chief good is that he should arrive, together with other individuals if possible, at the possession of the aforesaid character."<ref>B Spinoza, '']'' (1677) ]</ref> During the ] and responding to the ] and ]s, ] similarly wrote in '']'' (1792) society should give "genius a fair and universal chance" and so "the construction of government ought to be such as to bring forward... all that extent of capacity which never fails to appear in revolutions."<ref>], '']'' (1792) 197</ref>
=====Methodism=====
From its founding, Methodism was a Christian social justice movement.


] priest ] in the 1840s, but the expression is older.]]
Under ]'s direction, Methodists became leaders in many social justice issues of the day, including the ] and ] movements. Wesley himself was among the first to preach for slaves rights attracting significant opposition.<ref>S. R. Valentine, John Bennet & the Origins of Methodism and the Evangelical revival in England, Scarecrow Press, Lanham, 1997.</ref><ref>Carey, Brycchan. “John Wesley (1703–1791).” The British Abolitionists. Brycchan Carey, July 11, 2008. October 5, 2009. </ref><ref>Wesley John, “Thoughts Upon Slavery,” John Wesley: Holiness of Heart and Life. Charles Yrigoyen, 1996. October 5, 2009. </ref>
Although there is no certainty about the first use of the term "social justice", early sources can be found in Europe in the 18th century.<ref name="pérez27">{{Cite journal|last=Pérez-Garzón|first=Carlos Andrés|date=2018-01-14|title=Unveiling the Meaning of Social Justice in Colombia|url=https://revistas.juridicas.unam.mx/index.php/mexican-law-review/article/view/11892|journal=Mexican Law Review|language=en-US|volume=10|issue=2|pages=27–66|issn=2448-5306|access-date=28 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329054435/https://revistas.juridicas.unam.mx/index.php/mexican-law-review/article/view/11892|archive-date=29 March 2018}}</ref> Some references to the use of the expression are in articles of journals aligned with the spirit of the ], in which social justice is described as an obligation of the monarch;<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TnMLHOwjqgMC&q=%22justice+sociale%22&pg=PA311|title=Journal encyclopédique... |last=Rousseau|date=1774|publisher=De l'Imprimerie du Journal|language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xzATAAAAYAAJ&q=justice+sociale&pg=PA131|title=L'Esprit des journaux, françois et étrangers|date=1784|publisher=Valade|language=fr}}</ref> also the term is present in books written by Catholic Italian theologians, notably members of the ].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AEBbAAAAcAAJ&q=%22giustizia+sociale%22&pg=PA349|title=L'Episcopato ossia della Potesta di governar la chiesa. Dissertazione|date=1789|publisher=na|language=it}}</ref> Thus, according to this sources and the context, social justice was another term for "the justice of society", the justice that rules the relations among individuals in society, without any mention to socio-economic equity or human dignity.<ref name="pérez27"/>


The usage of the term started to become more frequent by Catholic thinkers from the 1840s, beginning with the ] ] in ''Civiltà Cattolica'', and based on the work of St. ]. Taparelli argued that rival ] and ] theories, based on subjective ] thinking, undermined the unity of society present in ] ] as neither were sufficiently concerned with ethics.<ref name=":1" /> Writing in 1861, the influential British philosopher and economist, ] stated in '']'' his view 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."<ref>], '']'' (1863)</ref>
Today, social justice plays a major role in the ]. The ''Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church'' says, "it is a governmental responsibility to provide all citizens with health care."<ref>The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church – 2008 ¶162 V, </ref> The United Methodist Church also teaches ] as part of its doctrine.<ref>The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church – 2008 ¶ 162 K, </ref>


In the later 19th and early 20th century, social justice became an important theme in American political and legal philosophy, particularly in the work of ], ] and ]. One of the prime concerns was the '']'' decisions of the ] to strike down legislation passed by state governments and the Federal government for social and economic improvement, such as the ] or the right to join a ]. After the First World War, the founding document of the ] took up the same terminology in its preamble, stating that "peace can be established only if it is based on social justice". From this point, the discussion of social justice entered into mainstream legal and academic discourse.
====Hinduism====
Non-tribal part of Ancient Hindu society was divided into hundreds of upper and lower castes. Some of these castes were organized in certain regions as Jajmani functioning as interdependent system. However there were many internal challenges to jati stratification, the jajmani and such other inequalities in Indian social structure. The present day jati hierarchy is undergoing changes for variety of reasons including 'social justice',which is a politically popular stance in democratic India.
The disparity and wide inequalities in social behaviour to some of the castes led to various ] in hinduism.


In 1931, the ] explicitly referred to the expression, along with the concept of ], for the first time in ] in the encyclical '']''. Then again in '']'', the church pointed out that the realization of social justice relied on the promotion of the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://w2.vatican.va/content/pius-xi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_19370319_divini-redemptoris.html|title=Divini Redemptoris (March 19, 1937) {{!}} PIUS XI|website=w2.vatican.va|access-date=2018-03-28}}</ref> During the 1930s, the term was widely associated with pro-] and ] groups, such as the ].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Press: Crackdown on Coughlin |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,795777,00.html |magazine=Time |access-date=24 February 2022 |date=27 April 1942}}</ref> Social Justice was the slogan of ], and the name of his ]. Because of the documented influence of ''Divini Redemptoris'' in its drafters,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Moyn|first=Samuel|date=2014|title=The Secret History of Constitutional Dignity|url=http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/yhrdlj/vol17/iss1/2/|journal=Yale Human Rights and Development Law Journal|language=en|volume=17|issue=1|issn=1548-2596}}</ref> the ] was the first one to establish the term as a principle of the economy in the State, and then other countries around the world did the same throughout the 20th century, even in ] regimes such as the ] in 1976.<ref name="pérez27"/>
There is a wide acceptance that Hindu social structure is ridden with castes and communities, and that this has led to barriers and segregation and condemnation of obnoxious vice of ] and ].


In the late 20th century, several liberal and conservative thinkers, notably ] rejected the concept by stating that it did not mean anything, or meant too many things.<ref>], '']'' (1973) vol II, ch 3</ref> However the concept remained highly influential, particularly with its promotion by philosophers such as ]. Even though the meaning of social justice varies, at least three common elements can be identified in the contemporary theories about it: a duty of the State to ] certain vital means (such as ]), the protection of ], and ]s to promote ] and ] for everybody.<ref name="pérez27"/>
====Islam====
{{Expand section|date=July 2011}}


== Contemporary theory ==
The ] contains numerous references to elements of social justice. For example, one of Islam's Five Pillars is ], or alms-giving. Charity and assistance to the poor – concepts central to social justice – are and have historically been important parts of the Islamic faith.


=== Philosophical perspectives ===
In Muslim history, Islamic governance has often been associated with social justice. Establishment of social justice was one of the motivating factors of the ] against the Ummayads.<ref>{{cite book|author=]|title=Islam and Politics|publisher=Syracuse University Press|year=1998|page=17}}</ref> The Shi'ite believe that the return of the ''Mahdi'' (Messiah) will herald in "the messianic age of justice" and the Messiah will end plunder, torture, oppression and discrimination.<ref>{{cite book|author=]|title=Islam and Politics|publisher=Syracuse University Press|year=1998|page=205}}</ref>


==== Cosmic values ====
For the ] the implementation of social justice would require the rejection of ] and ]. The Brotherhood strongly affirmed the right to private property as well as differences in personal wealth due to factors such as hard work. However, the Brotherhood held Muslims had an obligation to assist those Muslims in need. It held that ''zakat'' (alms-giving) was not voluntary charity, but rather the poor had the right to assistance from the more fortunate.<ref>{{cite book|author=]|title=Islam and Politics|publisher=Syracuse University Press|year=1998|pages=147–8}}</ref>


]' work promoting natural healthcare and sustainable economies advocates for ] as a key premise in social justice. His manifesto on ] ties the continued thriving of human life to real conditions, the environment supporting that life, and associates injustice with the detrimental effects of ] of human actions. Quoting classical Greek thinkers like ] on the good of pursuing happiness, Hunter also cites ornithologist, naturalist, and philosopher ] in his book Moral Foundations:
===John Rawls===

{{blockquote|The common feature which unites the activities most consistently forbidden by the moral codes of civilized peoples is that by their very nature they cannot be both habitual and enduring, because they tend to destroy the conditions which make them possible.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anh-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Sustainability-the-Complete-Concept1.pdf |author = Hunter Lewis |title = Sustainability, The Complete Concept, Environment, Healthcare, and Economy |date = 14 October 2009 |publisher = ChangeThis |access-date = 23 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090801/http://www.anh-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Sustainability-the-Complete-Concept1.pdf |archive-date = 4 March 2016 }}</ref>}}

Pope Benedict XVI cites ] in a vision of the cosmos as a 'living host'<ref>{{cite news |url=http://ncronline.org/news/ecology/pope-cites-teilhardian-vision-cosmos-living-host |author = John Allen Jr. |title = Ecology – The first stirring of an 'evolutionary leap' in late Jesuit's official standing? |date = 28 July 2009 |newspaper = National Catholic Reporter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120824050226/http://ncronline.org/news/ecology/pope-cites-teilhardian-vision-cosmos-living-host |archive-date = 24 August 2012}}</ref> embracing an understanding of ecology that includes humanity's relationship to others, that pollution affects not just the natural world but interpersonal relations as well. Cosmic harmony, justice and peace are closely interrelated:

{{blockquote|If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1341681?eng=y/ |author = Sandro Magister |title = Benedict XVI to the Diplomats: Three Levers for Lifting Up the World |date = 11 January 2010 |publisher = chiesa, Rome |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083309/http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1341681?eng=y%2F |archive-date = 4 March 2016}}</ref>}}

In ''The Quest for Cosmic Justice'', ] writes that seeking utopia, while admirable, may have disastrous effects if done without strong consideration of the economic underpinnings that support contemporary society.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sowell |first1=Thomas |title=The quest for cosmic justice |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=0-684-86463-0 |edition=1st Touchstone|date=5 February 2002 }}</ref>

==== John Rawls ====
{{Main|John Rawls}} {{Main|John Rawls}}
Political philosopher ] draws on the ] insights of ] and ], the ] ideas of ], and the ] ideas of ]. His first statement of principle was made in ''A Theory of Justice'' where he proposed that, "Each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override. For this reason justice denies that the loss of freedom for some is made right by a greater good shared by others.".<ref>John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (2005 reissue), Chapter 1, "Justice as Fairness" – 1. The Role of Justice, pp. 3–4</ref> A ] proposition that echoes Kant in framing the moral good of justice in ] terms. His views are definitively restated in '']'' where society is seen "as a fair system of co-operation over time, from one generation to the next.".<ref>John Rawls, ''Political Liberalism'' 15 (Columbia University Press 2003)</ref>


Political philosopher ] draws on the ] insights of ] and ], the ] ideas of ], and the ] ideas of ]. His first statement of principle was made in ''A Theory of Justice'' where he proposed that, "Each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override. For this reason justice denies that the loss of freedom for some is made right by a greater good shared by others."<ref>John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (2005 reissue), Chapter 1, "Justice as Fairness" – 1. The Role of Justice, pp. 3–4</ref> A ] proposition that echoes Kant in framing the moral good of justice in ] terms. His views are definitively restated in '']'' where society is seen "as a fair system of co-operation over time, from one generation to the next".<ref>John Rawls, ''Political Liberalism'' 15 (Columbia University Press 2003)</ref>
All societies have a basic structure of social, economic, and political institutions, both formal and informal. In testing how well these elements fit and work together, Rawls based a key test of legitimacy on the theories of social contract. To determine whether any particular system of collectively enforced social arrangements is legitimate, he argued that one must look for agreement by the people who are subject to it, but not necessarily to an objective notion of justice based on coherent ideological grounding. Obviously, not every citizen can be asked to participate in a poll to determine his or her consent to every proposal in which some degree of coercion is involved, so one has to assume that all citizens are ]. Rawls constructed an argument for a two-stage process to determine a citizen's hypothetical agreement:

All societies have a basic structure of social, economic, and political institutions, both formal and informal. In testing how well these elements fit and work together, Rawls based a key test of legitimacy on the theories of social contract. To determine whether any particular system of collectively enforced social arrangements is legitimate, he argued that one must look for agreement by the people who are subject to it, but not necessarily to an objective notion of justice based on coherent ideological grounding. Not every citizen can be asked to participate in a poll to determine his or her consent to every proposal in which some degree of coercion is involved, so one has to assume that all citizens are reasonable. Rawls constructed an argument for a two-stage process to determine a citizen's hypothetical agreement:
* The citizen agrees to be represented by X for certain purposes, and, to that extent, X holds these powers as a ] for the citizen. * The citizen agrees to be represented by X for certain purposes, and, to that extent, X holds these powers as a ] for the citizen.
* X agrees that enforcement in a particular social context is legitimate. The citizen, therefore, is bound by this decision because it is the function of the trustee to represent the citizen in this way. * X agrees that enforcement in a particular social context is legitimate. The citizen, therefore, is bound by this decision because it is the function of the trustee to represent the citizen in this way.
This applies to one person who represents a small group (e.g., the organiser of a social event setting a dress code) as equally as it does to national ]s, which are ultimate trustees, holding representative powers for the benefit of all citizens within their territorial boundaries. Governments that fail to provide for ] of their citizens according to the principles of justice are not legitimate. To emphasise the general principle that justice should rise from the people and not be dictated by the law-making powers of governments, Rawls asserted that, "There is . . . a general presumption against imposing legal and other restrictions on conduct without sufficient reason. But this presumption creates no special priority for any particular liberty."<ref>John Rawls, Political Liberalism 291–92 (Columbia University Press 2003)</ref> This is support for an unranked set of liberties that reasonable citizens in all states should respect and uphold&nbsp;— to some extent, the list proposed by Rawls matches the normative human rights that have international recognition and direct enforcement in some nation states where the citizens need encouragement to act in a way that fixes a greater degree of equality of outcome. This applies to one person who represents a small group (e.g., the organiser of a social event setting a dress code) just as it does to national governments, which are ultimate trustees, holding representative powers for the benefit of all citizens within their territorial boundaries. Governments that fail to provide for ] of their citizens according to the principles of justice are not legitimate. To emphasise the general principle that justice should rise from the people and not be dictated by the law-making powers of governments, Rawls asserted that, "There is ... a general presumption against imposing legal and other restrictions on conduct without sufficient reason. But this presumption creates no special priority for any particular liberty."<ref>John Rawls, Political Liberalism 291–92 (Columbia University Press 2003)</ref> This is support for an unranked set of liberties that reasonable citizens in all states should respect and uphold&nbsp;— to some extent, the list proposed by Rawls matches the normative human rights that have international recognition and direct enforcement in some nation states where the citizens need encouragement to act in a way that fixes a greater degree of equality of outcome. According to Rawls, the basic liberties that every good society should guarantee are:
* ];

====The basic liberties according to Rawls====
* Freedom of thought;
* Liberty of conscience as it affects social relationships on the grounds of religion, philosophy, and morality; * Liberty of conscience as it affects social relationships on the grounds of religion, philosophy, and morality;
* Political liberties (e.g. representative democratic institutions, freedom of speech and the press, and freedom of assembly); * Political liberties (e.g., representative democratic institutions, ] and the ], and ]);
* Freedom of association; * ];
* Freedoms necessary for the liberty and integrity of the person (viz: freedom from slavery, freedom of movement and a reasonable degree of freedom to choose one's occupation); and * Freedoms necessary for the liberty and integrity of the person (namely: freedom from ], freedom of movement and a reasonable degree of freedom to choose one's occupation); and
* Rights and liberties covered by the rule of law. * Rights and liberties covered by the ].


===Criticism=== ==== Thomas Pogge ====
]]]
Many authors criticize the idea that there exists an objective standard of social justice. ] deny that there is any kind of objective standard for justice in general. ], ], ], and most ] deny the epistemic possibility of objective notions of justice. ] (such as ]) believe that any ideal of social justice is ultimately a mere justification for the ]. Supporters of ] believe that social justice assists the least fit to reproduce, sometimes labeled as ], and hence should be opposed.<ref>{{dead link|date=August 2010}}</ref>
]'s arguments pertain to a standard of social justice that creates ]. He assigns responsibility to those who actively cooperate in designing or imposing the social institution, that the order is foreseeable as harming the global poor and is reasonably avoidable. Pogge argues that social institutions have a ] to not harm the poor.<ref>{{cite web |last1 = James |first1 = Nickel |title = Human Rights |url=http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rights-human/ |website = stanford.edu |publisher = The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy |access-date = 10 February 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1 = Pogge |first1 = Thomas Pogge |title = World Poverty and Human Rights |url=http://thomaspogge.com/books/world-poverty-human-rights/ |website = thomaspogge.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919070037/http://thomaspogge.com/books/world-poverty-human-rights/ |archive-date = 19 September 2015}}</ref>


Pogge speaks of "institutional cosmopolitanism" and assigns responsibility to institutional schemes<ref>{{cite journal |last1 = North |first1 = James |title = The Resource Privilege |url=http://www.thenation.com/article/181724/resource-privilege# |journal = The Nation |access-date = 10 February 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210065716/http://www.thenation.com/article/181724/resource-privilege |archive-date = 10 February 2015|date = 23 September 2014 }}</ref> for deficits of human rights. An example given is ] and third parties. A third party should not recognize or enforce ]. The institutional order should be held responsible only for deprivations of human rights that it establishes or authorizes. The current institutional design, he says, systematically harms developing economies by enabling corporate tax evasion,<ref>{{cite web |last1 = Pogge |first1 = Thomas |title = Human Rights and Just Taxation – Global Financial Transparency |url=http://thomaspogge.com/human-rights-and-just-taxation-global-financial-transparency/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210074345/http://thomaspogge.com/human-rights-and-just-taxation-global-financial-transparency/ |archive-date = 10 February 2015}}</ref> illicit financial flows, corruption, trafficking of people and weapons. ] disputes his claims based on the fact that some poor countries have done well with the current institutional design.<ref>{{cite book |editor=Alison M. Jaggar |title = Thomas Pogge and His Critics |date = 2010 |publisher = Polity Press |location = Cambridge |isbn=978-0-7456-4258-1}}</ref> Elizabeth Kahn argues that some of these responsibilities{{vague|date=April 2017}} should apply globally.<ref>{{cite journal |last1 = Kahn |first1 = Elizabeth |title = Global Economic Justice: A Structural Approach |journal = Public Reason |date = June–December 2012 |volume = 4 |issue = 1–2 |pages = 48–67 }}</ref>
Many other people accept some of the basic principles of social justice, such as the idea that all human beings have a basic level of value, but disagree with the elaborate conclusions that may or may not follow from this. One example is the statement by ] that all people are "equally entitled to the respect of their fellow-men."{{Cite quote|date=October 2007}}


==== United Nations ====
On the other hand, some scholars reject the very idea of social justice as meaningless, religious, self-contradictory, and ideological, believing that to realize any degree of social justice is unfeasible, and that the attempt to do so must destroy all liberty. The most complete rejection of the concept of social justice comes from ] of the ] of economics:
{{quote|There can be no test by which we can discover what is 'socially unjust' because there is no subject by which such an injustice can be committed, and there are no rules of individual conduct the observance of which in the market order would secure to the individuals and groups the position which as such (as distinguished from the procedure by which it is determined) would appear just to us. does not belong to the category of error but to that of nonsense, like the term `a moral stone'.<ref>"Law, legislation, and liberty, Volume 3, The Mirage of Social Justice", F.A. Hayek, Routledge, 1973</ref>}}


The United Nations calls social justice "an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/events/socialjusticeday/index.shtml|title=World Day of Social Justice, 20 February|website=www.un.org|language=EN|access-date=2019-11-08}}</ref>
Ben O'Neill of the ] argues that, for proponents of "social justice":<ref>O'Neill, Ben (2011-03-16) , '']''</ref>


The United Nations' 2006 document ''Social Justice in an Open World: The Role of the United Nations'', states that "Social justice may be broadly understood as the fair and compassionate distribution of the fruits of economic growth{{nbsp}}..."<ref name="un">{{cite web |title = Social Justice in an Open World: The Role of the United Nations", The International Forum for Social Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Social Policy and Development, ST/ESA/305 |publisher = United Nations |location = New York |year = 2006 |url=https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/documents/ifsd/SocialJustice.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829123826/http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/documents/ifsd/SocialJustice.pdf |archive-date = 29 August 2017}}</ref>{{rp|16}}
{{quote}the notion of "rights" is a mere term of entitlement, indicative of a claim for any possible desirable good, no matter how important or trivial, abstract or tangible, recent or ancient. It is merely an assertion of desire, and a declaration of intention to use the language of rights to acquire said desire.


The term "social justice" was seen by the U.N. "as a substitute for the protection of human rights first appeared in United Nations texts during the second half of the 1960s. At the initiative of the Soviet Union, and with the support of developing countries, the term was used in the Declaration on Social Progress and Development, adopted in 1969."<ref name="un" />{{rp|52}}
<p>In fact, since the program of social justice inevitably involves claims for government provision of goods, paid for through the efforts of others, the term actually refers to an intention to use ''force'' to acquire one's desires. Not to earn desirable goods by rational thought and action, production and voluntary exchange, but to go in there and forcibly take goods from those who can supply them!}}


The same document reports, "From the comprehensive global perspective shaped by the United Nations Charter and the ], neglect of the pursuit of social justice in all its dimensions translates into de facto acceptance of a future marred by violence, repression and chaos."<ref name="un" />{{rp|6}} The report concludes, "Social justice is not possible without strong and coherent ] conceived and implemented by public agencies."<ref name="un" />{{rp|16}}
] argues simply: "Either 'social justice' has the same meaning as 'justice' – or not. If so – why use the additional word 'social?' We lose time, we destroy trees to obtain paper necessary to print this word. If not, if 'social justice' means something different from 'justice' – then 'something different from justice' is by definition 'injustice'"


The same UN document offers a concise history: "he notion of social justice is relatively new. None of history's great philosophers—not Plato or Aristotle, or Confucius or Averroes, or even Rousseau or Kant—saw the need to consider justice or the redress of injustices from a social perspective. The concept first surfaced in Western thought and political language in the wake of the industrial revolution and the parallel development of the socialist doctrine. It emerged as an expression of protest against what was perceived as the capitalist ] and as a focal point for the development of measures to improve the human condition. It was born as a revolutionary slogan embodying the ideals of progress and fraternity. Following the revolutions that shook Europe in the mid-1800s, social justice became a rallying cry for progressive thinkers and political activists.... By the mid-twentieth century, the concept of social justice had become central to the ideologies and programs of virtually all the leftist and centrist political parties around the world{{nbsp}}..."<ref name="un" />{{rp|11–12}}
Sociologist ] has argued that a secular, leftist view of social justice entails viewing the redistribution of goods and resources as based on the rights of disadvantaged categories of people, rather than on compassion or national interest. Bankston maintains that this secular version of social justice became widely accepted due to the rise of demand-side economics and to the moral influence of the civil rights movement.<ref name="autogenerated2010">Social Justice: Cultural Origins of a Theory and a Perspective By Carl L. Bankston III, Independent Review vol. 15 no. 2, pp. 165–178, 2010</ref>


Another key area of human rights and social justice is the United Nations's defense of children's rights worldwide. In 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted and available for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 44/25.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=OHCHR {{!}} Convention on the Rights of the Child|url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx|access-date=2020-12-21|website=www.ohchr.org}}</ref> According to ], this convention entered into force on 2 September 1990. This convention upholds that all states have the obligation to "protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse."<ref name=":0" />
===Cosmic values===
Hunter Lewis' work promoting natural healthcare and sustainable economies advocates for ] as a key premise in social justice. His manifesto on ] ties the continued thriving of human life to real conditions, the environment supporting that life, and associates injustice with the detrimental effects of ] of human actions. Quoting classical Greek thinkers like ] on the good of pursuing happiness, Hunter also cites ornithologist, naturalist, and philosopher Alexander Skutch in his book Moral Foundations:


== Religious perspectives ==
{{quote|The common feature which unites the activities most consistently forbidden by the moral codes of civilized peoples is that by their very nature they cannot be both habitual and enduring, because they tend to destroy the conditions which make them possible.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anh-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Sustainability-the-Complete-Concept1.pdf |author=Hunter Lewis |title=Sustainability, The Complete Concept, Environment, Healthcare, and Economy |date=October 14, 2009 |publisher=ChangeThis}}</ref>}}
===Abrahamic religions===


==== Christianity ====
Pope Benedict XVI cites ] in a vision of the cosmos as a 'living host' <ref>{{cite web |url=http://ncronline.org/news/ecology/pope-cites-teilhardian-vision-cosmos-living-host| author=John Allen Jr. |title=Ecology – The first stirring of an 'evolutionary leap' in late Jesuit's official standing?|date=Jul. 28, 2009 |publisher=National Catholic Reporter}}</ref> embracing an understanding of ecology that includes mankinds's relationship to fellow men, that pollution effects not just the natural world but interpersonal relations also. Cosmic harmony, justice and peace are closely interrelated:
{{See also|Christian ethics|Christian democracy}}


===== Evangelicalism =====
{{quote|If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1341681?eng=y/ |author=Sandro Magister |title=Benedict XVI to the Diplomats: Three Levers for Lifting Up the World |date=January 11, 2010 |publisher=www.chiesa, Rome}}</ref>}}
'']'' magazine noted that younger Evangelicals also increasingly engage in social justice.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Sullivan|first=Amy|date=2010-06-01|title=Young Evangelicals: Expanding Their Mission|language=en-US|magazine=Time|url=http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1992463-1,00.html|access-date=2020-10-08|issn=0040-781X|archive-date=15 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115185057/http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1992463-1,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> ] traced the call for social justice back to the cross, "The cross is a revelation of God's justice as well as of his love. That is why the community of the cross should concern itself with social justice as well as with loving philanthropy."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Stott|first=John|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uSHC3qDjFS4C&pg=PA285|title=The Cross of Christ|date=2012-11-29|publisher=InterVarsity Press|isbn=978-0-8308-6636-6|page=185|language=en}}</ref>


====== Methodism ======
==Social justice movements==
From its founding, Methodism was a Christian social justice movement. Under ]'s direction, Methodists became leaders in many social justice issues of the day, including the ] and ] movements. Wesley himself was among the first to preach for slaves rights, attracting significant opposition.<ref>S. R. Valentine, John Bennet & the Origins of Methodism and the Evangelical revival in England, Scarecrow Press, Lanham, 1997.</ref><ref>Carey, Brycchan. "John Wesley (1703–1791)." The British Abolitionists. Brycchan Carey, 11 July 2008. 5 October 2009. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129112229/http://brycchancarey.com/abolition/index.htm |date=29 January 2016 }}</ref><ref>Wesley John, "Thoughts Upon Slavery," John Wesley: Holiness of Heart and Life. Charles Yrigoyen, 1996. 5 October 2009. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016083225/http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/wesley/thoughtsuponslavery.stm |date=16 October 2014 }}</ref>
Social justice is also a concept that is used to describe the movement towards a socially just world, i.e. the ]. In this context, social justice is based on the concepts of human rights and equality, and can be defined as ''"the way in which human rights are manifested in the everyday lives of people at every level of society"''.<ref>Just Comment – Volume 3 Number 1, 2000</ref>


Today, social justice plays a major role in the ] and the ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Do Justice |url=https://www.ffmc.org/do-justice |publisher=First Free Methodist Church |access-date=12 June 2021 |language=English }}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The ''Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church'' says, "We hold governments responsible for the protection of the rights of the people to free and fair elections and to the freedoms of speech, religion, assembly, communications media, and petition for redress of grievances without fear of reprisal; to the ]; and to the guarantee of the rights to adequate food, clothing, shelter, education, and health care."<ref>The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church – 2012 ¶164 V, {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206020517/http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=5066539&ct=6467671&notoc=1 |date=6 December 2013 }}</ref> The United Methodist Church also teaches ] as part of its doctrine.<ref>The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church – 2008 ¶ 162 K, {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206012803/http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=5066539&ct=6467635&notoc=1 |date=6 December 2013 }}</ref>
A number of ] are working to achieve social justice in society.<ref></ref><ref></ref> These movements are working towards the realization of a world where all members of a society, regardless of background or procedural justice, have basic human rights and equal access to the benefits of their society.


===The Green Party=== ===== Catholicism =====
{{prose|section|date=May 2022}}
{{Main|Green party}}
{{Main|Catholic social teaching}}
Social Justice (sometimes "Social Equality and Global Equality and Economic Justice") is one of the ] and is sometimes referred to as "Social and Global Equality" or "Economic Justice". The Canadian party defines the principle as the "equitable distribution of resources to ensure that all have full opportunities for personal and social development".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greenparty.ca/en/about-us |title=About Us &#124; Green Party of Canada |publisher=Greenparty.ca |date=2006-08-24 |accessdate=2010-08-27}}</ref> As one of the 10 key values of the party in the United States, social justice is described as the right and opportunity of all people "to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gp.org/tenkey.shtml |title=Green Party of the United States |publisher=Gp.org |date= |accessdate=2010-08-27}}</ref>


Catholic social teaching consists of those aspects of Roman Catholic doctrine which relate to matters dealing with the respect of the individual human life. A distinctive feature of Catholic social doctrine is its concern for the poorest and most vulnerable members of society. Two of the seven key areas<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/projects/socialteaching/excerpt.htm |title = Seven Key Themes of Catholic Social Teaching |access-date = 29 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608113958/http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/projects/socialteaching/excerpt.htm |archive-date = 8 June 2007 }}</ref> of "Catholic social teaching" are pertinent to social justice:
===Liberation theology===
* 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, from conception to natural death. Human life must be valued above all material possessions.
{{main|Liberation theology}}
* Preferential option for the poor and ]: Catholics believe Jesus taught that on the ] God will ask what each person did to help the poor and needy: "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."<ref>] 25:40.</ref> The Catholic Church believes that through words, prayers and deeds one must show solidarity with, and compassion for, the poor. The moral test of any society is "how it treats its most vulnerable members. 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."<ref>Option for the Poor, {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060216183419/http://www.osjspm.org/cst/themes.htm |date=16 February 2006 }}, Office for Social Justice, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.</ref>
Liberation theology<ref>In the mass media, 'Liberation Theology' can sometimes be used loosely, to refer to a wide variety of activist Christian thought. This article uses the term in the narrow sense outlined here.</ref> is a movement in ] ] which conveys the teachings of ] in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions. It has been described by proponents as "an interpretation of Christian faith through the poor's suffering, their struggle and hope, and a critique of society and the Catholic faith and Christianity through the eyes of the poor",<ref>], ''Liberation Theology: essential facts about the revolutionary movement in Latin America and beyond''(1987)</ref> and by detractors as Christianity perverted by ] and ].<ref>" Horowitz first describes liberation theology as 'a form of Marxised Christianity,' which has validity despite the awkward phrasing, but then he calls it a form of 'Marxist-Leninist ideology,' which is simply not true for most liberation theology..." Robert Shaffer, "," Organization of American Historians Newsletter 35, November, 2007. URL retrieved 12 July 2010.</ref>


Modern Catholic social teaching is often thought to have begun with the encyclicals of Pope Leo XIII.<ref name=":1" />
Although liberation theology has grown into an international and inter-denominational movement, it began as a movement within the ] in Latin America in the 1950s – 1960s. It arose principally as a moral reaction to the poverty caused by ] in that region. It achieved prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. The term was coined by the ] priest, ], who wrote one of the movement's most famous books, ''A Theology of Liberation'' (1971). Other noted exponents are ] of Brazil, ] of El Salvador, and ] of Uruguay.<ref>Richard P. McBrien, ''Catholicism'' (Harper Collins, 1994), chapter IV.</ref><ref>Liberation Theology General Information, on </ref><ref>Gustavo Gutierrez, ''A Theology of Liberation'', First (Spanish) edition published in Lima, Peru, 1971; first English edition published by Orbis Books (Maryknoll, New York), 1973.</ref>
* ], who studied under Taparelli, published in 1891 the ] '']'' (On the Condition of the Working Classes; lit. "On new things"), rejecting both ] and ], while defending labor unions and private property. He stated that society should be based on cooperation and not ] and ]. In this document, Leo set out the Catholic Church's response to the social instability and labor conflict that had arisen in the wake of industrialization and had led to the rise of socialism. The Pope advocated that the role of the state was to promote social justice through the protection of rights, while the church must speak out on social issues to teach correct social principles and ensure class harmony.
* The encyclical '']'' (On Reconstruction of the Social Order, literally "in the fortieth year") of 1931 by ], encourages a ],<ref>Popularised by ], although see ] and ], '']'' (1897)</ref> ], and advocates that social justice is a personal virtue as well as an attribute of the social order, saying that society can be just only if individuals and institutions are just.
* ] added much to the corpus of the Catholic social teaching, penning three encyclicals which focus on issues such as economics, politics, geo-political situations, ownership of the means of production, private property and the "]", and private property. The encyclicals '']'', '']'', and '']'' are just a small portion of his overall contribution to Catholic social justice. Pope John Paul II was a strong advocate of justice and ], and spoke forcefully for the poor. He addresses issues such as the problems that technology can present should it be misused, and admits a fear that the "progress" of the world is not true progress at all, if it should denigrate the value of the human person. He argued in '']'' that private property, markets, and honest labor were the keys to alleviating the miseries of the poor and to enabling a life that can express the fullness of the human person.
* ]'s encyclical '']'' ("God is Love") of 2006 claims that justice is the defining concern of the state and the central concern of politics, and not of the church, which has charity as its central social concern. It said that the laity has the specific responsibility of pursuing social justice in civil society and that the church's active role in social justice should be to inform the debate, using reason and natural law, and also by providing moral and spiritual formation for those involved in politics.
* The official Catholic doctrine on social justice can be found in the book ''Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church'', published in 2004 and updated in 2006, by the ].


The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' (§§&nbsp;1928–1948) contains more detail of the church's view of social justice.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c2a3.htm |title = Catechism of the Catholic Church – Social justice |publisher = Vatican.va |access-date = 29 March 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105063620/https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c2a3.htm |archive-date = 5 November 2013}}</ref>
===Social justice in healthcare===
Social justice has more recently made its way into the field of ]. Discussion involves topics such as affordable access to health care, especially for low income households and family. The discussion also raises questions such as whether society should bear healthcare costs for low income families, and whether the global marketplace is a good thing to deal with healthcare. ] and Madison Powers of the ] focus their analysis of social justice on which inequalities matter the most. They develop a social justice theory that answers some of these questions in concrete settings.


==== Islam ====
===Social justice and human rights education===

In Muslim history, ] has often been associated with social justice.{{additional citation|date=April 2018}} Establishment of social justice was one of the motivating factors of the ] against the Umayyads.<ref>{{cite book |author = John L. Esposito |title = Islam and Politics |publisher = Syracuse University Press |year = 1998 |page = 17 |author-link = John L. Esposito }}</ref> The Shi'a believe that the return of the ''Mahdi'' will herald in "the messianic age of justice" and the Mahdi along with the Isa (Jesus) will end plunder, torture, oppression and discrimination.<ref>{{cite book |author = John L. Esposito |title = Islam and Politics |publisher = Syracuse University Press |year = 1998 |page = 205 |author-link = John L. Esposito }}</ref>

For the ] the implementation of social justice would require the rejection of ] and ]. The Brotherhood strongly affirmed the right to private property as well as differences in personal wealth due to factors such as hard work. However, the Brotherhood held Muslims had an obligation to assist those Muslims in need. It held that ''zakat'' (alms-giving) was not voluntary charity, but rather the poor had the right to assistance from the more fortunate.<ref>{{cite book |author = John L. Esposito |title = Islam and Politics |publisher = Syracuse University Press |year = 1998 |pages = 147–8 |author-link = John L. Esposito }}</ref> Most Islamic governments therefore enforce the ''zakat'' through taxes.

==== Judaism ====
{{Main|Tikkun olam}}

In ''To Heal a Fractured World: The Ethics of Responsibility'', Rabbi ] states that social justice has a central place in ]. One of Judaism's most distinctive and challenging ideas is its ] of responsibility reflected in the concepts of ] ("gladness" or "joy"), ] ("the religious obligation to perform charity and philanthropic acts"), ] ("deeds of kindness"), and ] ("repairing the world").<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sacks|first=Jonathan|title=To Heal a Fractured World: The Ethics of Responsibility|publisher=Schocken|year=2005|isbn=978-0-8264-8622-6|location=New York|page=3}}</ref>

===Eastern religions===
==== Hinduism ====

The present-day ] hierarchy is undergoing changes for a variety of reasons including 'social justice', which is a politically popular stance in democratic India. Institutionalized affirmative action has promoted this. The disparity and wide inequalities in social behaviour of the jātis – exclusive, endogamous communities centred on traditional occupations – has led to various ] in ]. While legally outlawed, the caste system remains strong in practice.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Patil |first1 = Vijaykumar |title = Caste system hindering the goal of social justice: Siddaramaiah |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/caste-system-hindering-the-goal-of-social-justice-cm/article6822818.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904050652/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/caste-system-hindering-the-goal-of-social-justice-cm/article6822818.ece |archive-date = 4 September 2015|newspaper = The Hindu |date = 26 January 2015 }}</ref>

==== Traditional Chinese religion ====
{{main|Mandate of Heaven}}

The Chinese concept of Tian Ming has occasionally been perceived{{by whom|date=May 2018}} as an expression of social justice.<ref>Lee Jen-der (2014), "Crime and Punishment: The Case of Liu Hui in the Wei Shu", ''Early Medieval China: A Sourcebook'', New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 156–165, {{ISBN|978-0-231-15987-6}}.</ref> Through it, the deposition of unfair rulers is justified in that civil dissatisfaction and economical disasters is perceived as ] withdrawing its favor from the Emperor. A successful rebellion is considered definite proof that the Emperor is unfit to rule.

== Social justice movements ==
{{liberalism sidebar}}
{{Progressivism}}
{{Social democracy sidebar}}
{{Labor|expanded=unions}}

Social justice is also a concept that is used to describe the movement towards a socially just world, e.g., the ]. In this context, social justice is based on the concepts of human rights and equality, and can be defined as ''"the way in which human rights are manifested in the everyday lives of people at every level of society"''.<ref>Just Comment – Volume 3 Number 1, 2000</ref>

Several ] are working to achieve social justice in society. These movements are working toward the realization of a world where all members of a society, regardless of background or procedural justice, have basic human rights and equal access to the benefits of their society.<ref>{{cite book |last1 = Capeheart |first1 = Loretta |first2 = Dragan |last2 = Milovanovic |title = Social Justice: Theories, Issues, and Movements |title-link = Social Justice: Theories, Issues, and Movements }}</ref>

=== Liberation theology ===
{{Main|Liberation theology}}

Liberation theology<ref>In the mass media, 'Liberation Theology' can sometimes be used loosely, to refer to a wide variety of activist Christian thought. This article uses the term in the narrow sense outlined here.</ref> is a movement in ] ] which conveys the teachings of ] in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions. It has been described by proponents as "an interpretation of Christian faith through the poor's suffering, their struggle and hope, and a critique of society and the Catholic faith and Christianity through the eyes of the poor",<ref>], ''Liberation Theology: essential facts about the revolutionary movement in Latin America and beyond''(1987)</ref> and by detractors as Christianity perverted by ] and ].<ref>" Horowitz first describes liberation theology as 'a form of Marxised Christianity,' which has validity despite the awkward phrasing, but then he calls it a form of 'Marxist-Leninist ideology,' which is simply not true for most liberation theology{{nbsp}}..." Robert Shaffer, " {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130904165644/http://www.oah.org/pubs/nl/2007nov/shaffer.html |date=4 September 2013 }}," Organization of American Historians Newsletter 35, November 2007. URL retrieved 12 July 2010.</ref>

Although liberation theology has grown into an international and inter-denominational movement, it began as a movement within the ] in Latin America in the 1950s–1960s. It arose principally as a moral reaction to the poverty caused by social injustice in that region.<ref name=Williams>''Liberation Theology and Its Role in Latin America''. Elisabeth Erin Williams. Monitor: Journal of International Studies. The College of William and Mary.</ref> It achieved prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. The term was coined by the ] priest ], who wrote one of the movement's most famous books, ''A Theology of Liberation'' (1971). According to ], "Marx would surely take issue", she writes, "with the appropriation of his works in a religious context...there is no way to reconcile Marx's views of religion with those of Gutierrez, they are simply incompatible. Despite this, in terms of their understanding of the necessity of a just and righteous world, and the nearly inevitable obstructions along such a path, the two have much in common; and, particularly in the first edition of , the use of Marxian theory is quite evident."<ref>Sarah Kleeb, "; Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society for the Study of Religion (CSSR), Toronto, 2006. Retrieved 22 October 2012. Copyright by Sarah Lynn Kleeb 2015</ref>

Other noted exponents are ] of Brazil, ] of Argentina, ] of El Salvador, and ] of Uruguay.<ref>Richard P. McBrien, ''Catholicism'' (Harper Collins, 1994), chapter IV.</ref><ref>Gustavo Gutierrez, ''A Theology of Liberation'', First (Spanish) edition published in Lima, Peru, 1971; first English edition published by Orbis Books (Maryknoll, New York), 1973.</ref>

=== Health care ===

Social justice has more recently made its way into the field of ]. Discussion involves topics such as affordable access to health care, especially for low-income households and families. The discussion also raises questions such as whether society should bear healthcare costs for low-income families, and whether the global marketplace is the best way to distribute healthcare. ] of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and ] of Georgetown University focus their analysis of social justice on which inequalities matter the most. They develop a social justice theory that answers some of these questions in concrete settings.

Social injustices occur when there is a preventable difference in health states among a population of people. These social injustices take the form of ] when negative health states such as malnourishment, and infectious diseases are more prevalent in impoverished nations.<ref>Farmer, Paul E., Bruce Nizeye, Sara Stulac, and Salmaan Keshavjee. 2006. Structural Violence and Clinical Medicine. PLoS Medicine, 1686–1691</ref> These negative health states can often be prevented by providing social and economic structures such as primary healthcare which ensures the general population has equal access to health care services regardless of income level, gender, education or any other stratifying factors. Integrating social justice with health inherently reflects the social determinants of health model without discounting the role of the bio-medical model.<ref>Cueto, Marcos. 2004. The ORIGINS of Primary Health Care and SELECTIVE Primary Health Care. Am J Public Health 94 (11):1868</ref>

=== Health inequalities ===
The sources of health inequalities are rooted in injustices associated with racism, sex discrimination, and social class. Richard Hofrichter and his colleagues examine the political implications of various perspectives used to explain health inequities and explore alternative strategies for eliminating them.<ref>{{Cite book|editor-last=Hofrichter |editor-first=Richard |title=Health and social justice: Politics, ideology, and inequity in the distribution of disease|publisher=Jossey-Bass|year=2003|isbn=978-0-7879-6733-8|location=San Francisco, CA|url=https://archive.org/details/healthsocialjust0000unse |url-access=registration}}</ref>

=== Human rights education ===
{{Main|Human rights education}} {{Main|Human rights education}}
The ] affirm that "Human rights education should include ], ], development and social justice, as set forth in ], in order to achieve common ] and ] with a view to strengthening universal commitment to human rights.<ref>Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, Part II, paragraph 80</ref>


The ] affirm that "Human rights education should include peace, democracy, development and social justice, as set forth in ], to achieve common understanding and awareness to strengthen universal commitment to human rights."<ref>Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, Part II, paragraph 80</ref>
==Periodicals and publications==

]'' by ] ]]
=== Ecology and environment ===
Published originally in Italian in 1848, the founder of the Society of Charity Rosmini's seminal work ''Costituzione secondo la giustizia sociale'' "The Constitution under Social Justice"<ref></ref> was translated into English in 2006 by Alberto Mingardi. This work of political philosophy links representative justice to territorial property rights held in trust by a monarch, and asserts a social justice of no taxation without representation. Historically income tax was not levied on an individuals' industry or labor but rather on profits realized by title holders of real estate. Such an injustice—withholding wages from a worker—would have been inconceivable to 18th century liberal democrats.
{{Main|Climate justice|environmental justice}}
Social justice principles are embedded in the larger ]. The third principle of the Earth Charter is social and economic justice, which is described as seeking to eradicate poverty as an ethical, social, and environmental imperative, ensure that economic activities and institutions at all levels promote human development in an equitable and sustainable manner, affirm gender equality and equity as prerequisites to sustainable development and ensure universal access to education, health care, and economic opportunity, and uphold the right of all, without discrimination, to a natural and social environment supportive of human dignity, bodily health, and spiritual well-being, with special attention to the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities.

The ] and ] movements also incorporate social justice principles, ideas, and practices. Climate justice and environmental justice, as movements within the larger ecological and environmental movement, each incorporate social justice in a particular way. Climate justice includes concern for social justice pertaining to greenhouse gas emissions,<ref>EA Posner and CR Sunstein </ref> climate-induced environmental displacement,<ref>JS Mastaler </ref> as well as ] and adaptation. Environmental justice includes concern for social justice pertaining to either environmental benefits<ref>A Dahlberg, R Rohde, K Sandell (2010) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301013315/http://www.conservationandsociety.org/article.asp?issn=0972-4923;year=2010;volume=8;issue=3;spage=209;epage=224;aulast=Dahlberg |date=1 March 2019 }} 8, no. 3 pp.209-224</ref> or environmental pollution<ref>RD Bullard (2005) ''The Quest for Environmental Justice: Human Rights and the Politics of Pollution'' (Counterpoint) {{ISBN|978-1-57805-120-5}}</ref> based on their equitable distribution across communities of color, communities of various socio and economic stratification, or any other barriers to justice.

== Criticism ==
{{Criticism section|date=August 2023}}
] argues that social justice has seldom been adequately defined. He wrote:
{{blockquote|hole books and treatises have been written about social justice without ever defining it. It is allowed to float in the air as if everyone will recognize an instance of it when it appears. This vagueness seems indispensable. The minute one begins to define social justice, one runs into embarrassing intellectual difficulties. It becomes, most often, a term of art whose operational meaning is, "We need a law against that." In other words, it becomes an instrument of ideological intimidation, for the purpose of gaining the power of legal coercion.<ref name="Novak, Michael 2000">Novak, Michael. "Defining social justice." First things (2000): 11-12.</ref>}}

] of the ] of economics rejected the very idea of social justice as meaningless, self-contradictory, and ideological, believing that to realize any degree of social justice is unfeasible, and that the attempt to do so must destroy all liberty. He wrote:
{{blockquote|There can be no test by which we can discover what is 'socially unjust' because there is no subject by which such an injustice can be committed, and there are no rules of individual conduct the observance of which in the market order would secure to the individuals and groups the position which as such (as distinguished from the procedure by which it is determined) would appear just to us. does not belong to the category of error but to that of nonsense, like the term 'a moral stone'.<ref>Hayek, F.A. (1982). ''Law, Legislation and Liberty, Vol. 2''. Routledge. p. 78.</ref>}}

Hayek argued that proponents of social justice often present it as a moral virtue but most of their descriptions pertain to impersonal states of affairs (e.g. income inequality or poverty), which are cited as "social injustice". Hayek argued that social justice is either a virtue or it is not. If it is, it can only be ascribed to the actions of individuals; however, most who use the term ascribe it to social systems, so ''social justice'' in fact describes a regulative principle of order; they are interested not in virtue but power.<ref name="Novak, Michael 2000"/> For Hayek, this notion of social justices presupposes that people are guided by specific external directions rather than internal, personal rules of just conduct. It further presupposes that one can never be held accountable for ones own behaviour, as this would be "blaming the victim". According to Hayek, the function of social justice is to blame someone else, often attributed to "the system" or those who are supposed, mythically, to control it. Thus, it is based on the appealing idea of "you suffer; your suffering is caused by powerful others; these oppressors must be destroyed."<ref name="Novak, Michael 2000"/> Ben O'Neill of the ] and the ] argues:
{{blockquote| the notion of "rights" is a mere term of entitlement, indicative of a claim for any possible desirable good, no matter how important or trivial, abstract or tangible, recent or ancient. It is merely an assertion of desire, and a declaration of intention to use the language of rights to acquire said desire.

In fact, since the program of social justice inevitably involves claims for government provision of goods, paid for through the efforts of others, the term actually refers to an intention to use ''force'' to acquire one's desires. Not to earn desirable goods by rational thought and action, production and voluntary exchange, but to go in there and forcibly take goods from those who can supply them!<ref>O'Neill, Ben (16 March 2011) {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028092912/http://mises.org/daily/5099/The-Injustice-of-Social-Justice |date=28 October 2014 }}, '']''</ref>}}


Psychologist ] argues that social justice "sees society as a struggle for power, also zero-sum, among different sexes, sexual orientations, and races also has a contempt for science".<ref name="Robinson 2018">{{Cite journal |last=Robinson |first=Nathan J. |date=May 28, 2018 |title=In Defense Of Social Justice |url=https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/2018/05/in-defense-of-social-justice |access-date=2023-08-14 |journal=Current Affairs}}</ref> Media commentator ] argues that social justice promotes collectivism and sees individuals as "essentially a member of a group" and "not essentially an individual". He also argues that social justice "view the world" as "a battleground between groups of different power".<ref name="Robinson 2018" /> In response, ], editor of left-wing magazine '']'', argues that critics of social justice, such as Pinker and Peterson, often "move freely between terms like '],' '],' ']' and 'identitarian left'" and "want to tear it apart rather than to generously understand it. They like to go on about just how ''absurd'' it is, how the people who advocate it are such ''fools'' who are ignorant of data. But they don't ever try to listen."<ref name="Robinson 2018" />
'']'' was also the name of a periodical published by ] in the 1930s and early 1940s.<ref></ref> Coughlin's organization was known as the National Union for Social Justice and he frequently used the term social justice in his radio broadcasts. In 1935 Coughlin made a series of broadcasts in which he outlined what he termed "the Christian principles of social justice" as an alternative to both ] and ]. Some
Catholic contemporaries, such as the ], felt that he misused the term, and was too supportive of ].<ref>{{cite news |title= Radical Alliance' Priests Strike With Pickets |url= http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19371022&id=mykbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JUwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3951,2830609 |newspaper= ]|date= 22 October 1937 |publisher= |location= ]|page= 42 |quote= We contend that the relationship between Catholicism and capitalism is one of fundamental opposition}}</ref> The president of the ''Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace'' ]ian Cardinal Peter Turkson acknowledges that terminology used in the Church's social teachings needs glossing for US audiences <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-official-says-churchs-justice-teachings-need-new-vocabulary-for-some-us-audiences/|title=Church’s justice teachings need new 'vocabulary' for some US audiences |date=Jan 13, 2011 |publisher=CNA/EWTN News}}</ref> where the adjective ''social'' may have a negative connotation of collective arrogation of responsibility for individual well-being.


==See also== == See also ==
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==References== == References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=35em}} {{reflist}}


==Further reading== == Further reading ==
{{wikiquote}}
* Novak, Michael, , ''First Things''
{{Library resources box}}
* ] (1982). ''Social Justice and Public Policy.''
* ] (1915). ''Essays in Social Justice''. Chapter
* ]. (1961). ''The Evolution Of Civilizations: An Introduction to Historical Analysis''. Second edition 1979. Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund. ISBN 0-913966-56-8
* Faden, Ruth & Powers, Madison. "", New York, USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195189261.
* O'Neill, Ben. , '']''
* Rawls, John. (1971). '']'', Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-88010-2
* Rawls, John. (1993). '']''. New York: Columbia University Press (''The John Dewey Essays in Philosophy, 4''). ISBN 0-231-05248-0
* For an analysis of justice for non-ruling communities, see: ], Communities and Law: Politics and Cultures of Legal Identities. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
* For perspectives from Christian-informed contexts, see Philomena Cullen, Bernard Hoose & Gerard Mannion (eds.), Catholic ''Social Justice: Theological and Practical Explorations'', (T. &. T Clark/Continuum, 2007) and J. Franklin (ed.), ''Life to the Full: Rights and Social Justice in Australia'' (Connor Court, 2007).
* Powers, M. and Faden, R. "Inequalities in health, inequalities in health care: four generations of discussion about justice and cost-effectiveness analysis," Kennedy. Inst.Ethics J. 10 (2):109-127, 2000.
* Madison Powers and Ruth Faden,“Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care: An Ethical Analysis of When and How They Matter,” in Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care, Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, 2002: 722–38
* Faden, R. R., Dawson, L., Bateman-House, A. S., Agnew, D. M., Bok, H., Brock, D. W., Chakravarti, A, Gao, X-J., Greene, M., Hansen, J. A., King, P.A., O'Brien, S. J., Sachs, D. H., Schill, K. E., Siegel, A., Solter, D., Suter, S. M., Verfaillie, C.M., Walters, L.B., Gearhart, J.D., "Public stem cell banks: Considerations of justice in stem cell research and therapy." Hastings Center Report, 33(6), November–December 2003.
*
*
*
* Corning, Peter, , (Chicago University Press, 2011)


==External links== === Articles ===
* C Pérez-Garzón, '' (2019) 43 Revista Derecho del Estado 67–106, originally in Spanish: ''
*
* ], 'The Living Law' (1915–1916) 10 Illinois Law Review 461
*
* A Etzioni, ' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924041156/http://www.gwu.edu/~ccps/etzioni/documents/A348-TheFairSociety.pdf |date=24 September 2015 }}' in N Garfinkle and D Yankelovich (eds) (Yale University Press 2005) pp.&nbsp;211–223
*
* ], '''' (2016) translated and introduced by E McGaughey, originally in German ''Die soziale Aufgabe des Privatrechts''
*
* * M Novak, '' (2000) First Things
* B O'Neill, ' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028092912/http://mises.org/daily/5099/The-Injustice-of-Social-Justice |date=28 October 2014 }}' (])
* ], 'Social Justice and Legal Justice' (1912) 75 Central Law Journal 455
* M Powers and R Faden, '' (2000) 10(2) Kennedy Inst Ethics Journal 109–127
* M Powers and R Faden, 'Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care: An Ethical Analysis of When and How They Matter,' in ''Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care'' (National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, 2002) 722–38
* United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 'Social Justice in an Open World: The Role of the United Nations' (2006)


=== Books ===
{{Social work}}
* ], ''Social Justice and Public Policy'' (1982)
{{Types of justice}}
* ], ''Communities and Law: Politics and Cultures of Legal Identities'' (University of Michigan Press) analysis of justice for non-ruling communities
* ], ''Essays in Social Justice'' (1915) Chapter
* ] ''The Evolution of Civilizations: An Introduction to Historical Analysis'' (1961) 2nd edition 1979
* P Corning, '''' (Chicago UP 2011)
* WL Droel ''What is Social Justice'' (ACTA Publications 2011)
* R Faden and M Powers, ''Social Justice: The Moral Foundations of Public Health and Health Policy'' OUP 2006 {{ISBN|978-0-19-518926-1}}
* J Franklin (ed), ''Life to the Full: Rights and Social Justice in Australia'' (Connor Court 2007)
* LC Frederking (2013) ''Reconstructing Social Justice'' (Routledge) {{ISBN|978-1-138-19402-1}}
* ], '']'' (1973) vol II, ch 3
* ], ''Seeking Social Justice through Globalization: Escaping a Nationalist Perspective'' (2003)
* ], '']'' (1863)
* T Massaro, S.J. ''Living Justice: Catholic Social Teaching in Action'' (Rowman & Littlefield 2012)
* ], '']'' (Harvard University Press 1971)
* ], '']'' (Columbia University Press 1993)
* C Philomena, B Hoose and G Mannion (eds), ''Social Justice: Theological and Practical Explorations'' (2007)
* ], ''Political Philosophy'' (3rd edn 2013) ch 1
* Michael J. Thompson, '''' (International Journal of Ethics: vol. 7, no. 3 (2011)


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Latest revision as of 16:19, 16 December 2024

Concept in political philosophy

For the early-20th-century periodical, see Social Justice (periodical). For the academic journal established in 1974, see Social Justice (journal).

Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fulfill their societal roles and receive their due from society. In the current movements for social justice, the emphasis has been on the breaking of barriers for social mobility, the creation of safety nets, and economic justice. Social justice assigns rights and duties in the institutions of society, which enables people to receive the basic benefits and burdens of cooperation. The relevant institutions often include taxation, social insurance, public health, public school, public services, labor law and regulation of markets, to ensure distribution of wealth, and equal opportunity.

Modernist interpretations that relate justice to a reciprocal relationship to society are mediated by differences in cultural traditions, some of which emphasize the individual responsibility toward society and others the equilibrium between access to power and its responsible use. Hence, social justice is invoked today while reinterpreting historical figures such as Bartolomé de las Casas, in philosophical debates about differences among human beings, in efforts for gender, ethnic, and social equality, for advocating justice for migrants, prisoners, the environment, and the physically and developmentally disabled.

While concepts of social justice can be found in classical and Christian philosophical sources, from early Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle to Catholic saints Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas, the term social justice finds its earliest uses in the late eighteenth century, albeit with unclear theoretical or practical meanings. The use of the term was early on subject to accusations of redundancy and of rhetorical flourish, perhaps but not necessarily related to amplifying one view of distributive justice. In the coining and definition of the term in the natural law social scientific treatise of Luigi Taparelli, in the early 1840s, Taparelli established the natural law principle that corresponded to the evangelical principle of brotherly love—i.e. social justice reflects the duty one has to one's other self in the interdependent abstract unity of the human person in society. After the Revolutions of 1848, the term was popularized generically through the writings of Antonio Rosmini-Serbati.

In the late industrial revolution, Progressive Era American legal scholars began to use the term more, particularly Louis Brandeis and Roscoe Pound. From the early 20th century it was also embedded in international law and institutions; the preamble to establish the International Labour Organization recalled that "universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice." In the later 20th century, social justice was made central to the philosophy of the social contract, primarily by John Rawls in A Theory of Justice (1971). In 1993, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action treats social justice as a purpose of human rights education.

History

Main articles: Social contract, Justice, Corrective justice, and Distributive justice
An artist's rendering of what Plato might have looked like. From Raphael's early 16th century painting "Scuola di Atene".

The different concepts of justice, as discussed in ancient Western philosophy, were typically centered upon the community.

Roman copy in marble of a Greek bronze bust of Aristotle by Lysippos, c. 330 BC. The alabaster mantle is modern.
  • Plato wrote in The Republic that it would be an ideal state that "every member of the community must be assigned to the class for which he finds himself best fitted." In an article for J.N.V University, author D.R. Bhandari says, "Justice is, for Plato, at once a part of human virtue and the bond, which joins man together in society. It is the identical quality that makes good and social. Justice is an order and duty of the parts of the soul, it is to the soul as health is to the body. Plato says that justice is not mere strength, but it is a harmonious strength. Justice is not the right of the stronger but the effective harmony of the whole. All moral conceptions revolve about the good of the whole-individual as well as social".
  • Plato believed rights existed only between free people, and the law should take "account in the first instance of relations of inequality in which individuals are treated in proportion to their worth and only secondarily of relations of equality." Reflecting this time when slavery and subjugation of women was typical, ancient views of justice tended to reflect the rigid class systems that still prevailed. On the other hand, for the privileged groups, strong concepts of fairness and the community existed. Distributive justice was said by Aristotle to require that people were distributed goods and assets according to their merit.
Bust of Socrates
  • Socrates (through Plato's dialogue Crito) is credited with developing the idea of a social contract, whereby people ought to follow the rules of a society, and accept its burdens because they have accepted its benefits. During the Middle Ages, religious scholars particularly, such as Thomas Aquinas continued discussion of justice in various ways, but ultimately connected being a good citizen to the purpose of serving God. The Waldensians were a medieval sect that advocated for social justice.

After the Renaissance and Reformation, the modern concept of social justice, as developing human potential, began to emerge through the work of a series of authors. Baruch Spinoza in On the Improvement of the Understanding (1677) contended that the one true aim of life should be to acquire "a human character much more stable than own", and to achieve this "pitch of perfection... The chief good is that he should arrive, together with other individuals if possible, at the possession of the aforesaid character." During the enlightenment and responding to the French and American Revolutions, Thomas Paine similarly wrote in The Rights of Man (1792) society should give "genius a fair and universal chance" and so "the construction of government ought to be such as to bring forward... all that extent of capacity which never fails to appear in revolutions."

Social justice has been traditionally credited to be coined by Jesuit priest Luigi Taparelli in the 1840s, but the expression is older.

Although there is no certainty about the first use of the term "social justice", early sources can be found in Europe in the 18th century. Some references to the use of the expression are in articles of journals aligned with the spirit of the Enlightenment, in which social justice is described as an obligation of the monarch; also the term is present in books written by Catholic Italian theologians, notably members of the Society of Jesus. Thus, according to this sources and the context, social justice was another term for "the justice of society", the justice that rules the relations among individuals in society, without any mention to socio-economic equity or human dignity.

The usage of the term started to become more frequent by Catholic thinkers from the 1840s, beginning with the Jesuit Luigi Taparelli in Civiltà Cattolica, and based on the work of St. Thomas Aquinas. Taparelli argued that rival capitalist and socialist theories, based on subjective Cartesian thinking, undermined the unity of society present in Thomistic metaphysics as neither were sufficiently concerned with ethics. Writing in 1861, the influential British philosopher and economist, John Stuart Mill stated in Utilitarianism his view 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."

In the later 19th and early 20th century, social justice became an important theme in American political and legal philosophy, particularly in the work of John Dewey, Roscoe Pound and Louis Brandeis. One of the prime concerns was the Lochner era decisions of the US Supreme Court to strike down legislation passed by state governments and the Federal government for social and economic improvement, such as the eight-hour day or the right to join a trade union. After the First World War, the founding document of the International Labour Organization took up the same terminology in its preamble, stating that "peace can be established only if it is based on social justice". From this point, the discussion of social justice entered into mainstream legal and academic discourse.

In 1931, the Pope Pius XI explicitly referred to the expression, along with the concept of subsidiarity, for the first time in Catholic social teaching in the encyclical Quadragesimo anno. Then again in Divini Redemptoris, the church pointed out that the realization of social justice relied on the promotion of the dignity of human person. During the 1930s, the term was widely associated with pro-Nazi and antisemitic groups, such as the Christian Front. Social Justice was the slogan of Charles Coughlin, and the name of his newspaper. Because of the documented influence of Divini Redemptoris in its drafters, the Constitution of Ireland was the first one to establish the term as a principle of the economy in the State, and then other countries around the world did the same throughout the 20th century, even in socialist regimes such as the Cuban Constitution in 1976.

In the late 20th century, several liberal and conservative thinkers, notably Friedrich Hayek rejected the concept by stating that it did not mean anything, or meant too many things. However the concept remained highly influential, particularly with its promotion by philosophers such as John Rawls. Even though the meaning of social justice varies, at least three common elements can be identified in the contemporary theories about it: a duty of the State to distribute certain vital means (such as economic, social, and cultural rights), the protection of human dignity, and affirmative actions to promote substantive equality and social equity for everybody.

Contemporary theory

Philosophical perspectives

Cosmic values

Hunter Lewis' work promoting natural healthcare and sustainable economies advocates for conservation as a key premise in social justice. His manifesto on sustainability ties the continued thriving of human life to real conditions, the environment supporting that life, and associates injustice with the detrimental effects of unintended consequences of human actions. Quoting classical Greek thinkers like Epicurus on the good of pursuing happiness, Hunter also cites ornithologist, naturalist, and philosopher Alexander Skutch in his book Moral Foundations:

The common feature which unites the activities most consistently forbidden by the moral codes of civilized peoples is that by their very nature they cannot be both habitual and enduring, because they tend to destroy the conditions which make them possible.

Pope Benedict XVI cites Teilhard de Chardin in a vision of the cosmos as a 'living host' embracing an understanding of ecology that includes humanity's relationship to others, that pollution affects not just the natural world but interpersonal relations as well. Cosmic harmony, justice and peace are closely interrelated:

If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation.

In The Quest for Cosmic Justice, Thomas Sowell writes that seeking utopia, while admirable, may have disastrous effects if done without strong consideration of the economic underpinnings that support contemporary society.

John Rawls

Main article: John Rawls

Political philosopher John Rawls draws on the utilitarian insights of Bentham and Mill, the social contract ideas of John Locke, and the categorical imperative ideas of Kant. His first statement of principle was made in A Theory of Justice where he proposed that, "Each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override. For this reason justice denies that the loss of freedom for some is made right by a greater good shared by others." A deontological proposition that echoes Kant in framing the moral good of justice in absolutist terms. His views are definitively restated in Political Liberalism where society is seen "as a fair system of co-operation over time, from one generation to the next".

All societies have a basic structure of social, economic, and political institutions, both formal and informal. In testing how well these elements fit and work together, Rawls based a key test of legitimacy on the theories of social contract. To determine whether any particular system of collectively enforced social arrangements is legitimate, he argued that one must look for agreement by the people who are subject to it, but not necessarily to an objective notion of justice based on coherent ideological grounding. Not every citizen can be asked to participate in a poll to determine his or her consent to every proposal in which some degree of coercion is involved, so one has to assume that all citizens are reasonable. Rawls constructed an argument for a two-stage process to determine a citizen's hypothetical agreement:

  • The citizen agrees to be represented by X for certain purposes, and, to that extent, X holds these powers as a trustee for the citizen.
  • X agrees that enforcement in a particular social context is legitimate. The citizen, therefore, is bound by this decision because it is the function of the trustee to represent the citizen in this way.

This applies to one person who represents a small group (e.g., the organiser of a social event setting a dress code) just as it does to national governments, which are ultimate trustees, holding representative powers for the benefit of all citizens within their territorial boundaries. Governments that fail to provide for welfare of their citizens according to the principles of justice are not legitimate. To emphasise the general principle that justice should rise from the people and not be dictated by the law-making powers of governments, Rawls asserted that, "There is ... a general presumption against imposing legal and other restrictions on conduct without sufficient reason. But this presumption creates no special priority for any particular liberty." This is support for an unranked set of liberties that reasonable citizens in all states should respect and uphold — to some extent, the list proposed by Rawls matches the normative human rights that have international recognition and direct enforcement in some nation states where the citizens need encouragement to act in a way that fixes a greater degree of equality of outcome. According to Rawls, the basic liberties that every good society should guarantee are:

  • Freedom of thought;
  • Liberty of conscience as it affects social relationships on the grounds of religion, philosophy, and morality;
  • Political liberties (e.g., representative democratic institutions, freedom of speech and the press, and freedom of assembly);
  • Freedom of association;
  • Freedoms necessary for the liberty and integrity of the person (namely: freedom from slavery, freedom of movement and a reasonable degree of freedom to choose one's occupation); and
  • Rights and liberties covered by the rule of law.

Thomas Pogge

Thomas Pogge

Thomas Pogge's arguments pertain to a standard of social justice that creates human rights deficits. He assigns responsibility to those who actively cooperate in designing or imposing the social institution, that the order is foreseeable as harming the global poor and is reasonably avoidable. Pogge argues that social institutions have a negative duty to not harm the poor.

Pogge speaks of "institutional cosmopolitanism" and assigns responsibility to institutional schemes for deficits of human rights. An example given is slavery and third parties. A third party should not recognize or enforce slavery. The institutional order should be held responsible only for deprivations of human rights that it establishes or authorizes. The current institutional design, he says, systematically harms developing economies by enabling corporate tax evasion, illicit financial flows, corruption, trafficking of people and weapons. Joshua Cohen disputes his claims based on the fact that some poor countries have done well with the current institutional design. Elizabeth Kahn argues that some of these responsibilities should apply globally.

United Nations

The United Nations calls social justice "an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations.

The United Nations' 2006 document Social Justice in an Open World: The Role of the United Nations, states that "Social justice may be broadly understood as the fair and compassionate distribution of the fruits of economic growth ..."

The term "social justice" was seen by the U.N. "as a substitute for the protection of human rights first appeared in United Nations texts during the second half of the 1960s. At the initiative of the Soviet Union, and with the support of developing countries, the term was used in the Declaration on Social Progress and Development, adopted in 1969."

The same document reports, "From the comprehensive global perspective shaped by the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, neglect of the pursuit of social justice in all its dimensions translates into de facto acceptance of a future marred by violence, repression and chaos." The report concludes, "Social justice is not possible without strong and coherent redistributive policies conceived and implemented by public agencies."

The same UN document offers a concise history: "he notion of social justice is relatively new. None of history's great philosophers—not Plato or Aristotle, or Confucius or Averroes, or even Rousseau or Kant—saw the need to consider justice or the redress of injustices from a social perspective. The concept first surfaced in Western thought and political language in the wake of the industrial revolution and the parallel development of the socialist doctrine. It emerged as an expression of protest against what was perceived as the capitalist exploitation of labor and as a focal point for the development of measures to improve the human condition. It was born as a revolutionary slogan embodying the ideals of progress and fraternity. Following the revolutions that shook Europe in the mid-1800s, social justice became a rallying cry for progressive thinkers and political activists.... By the mid-twentieth century, the concept of social justice had become central to the ideologies and programs of virtually all the leftist and centrist political parties around the world ..."

Another key area of human rights and social justice is the United Nations's defense of children's rights worldwide. In 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted and available for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 44/25. According to OHCHR, this convention entered into force on 2 September 1990. This convention upholds that all states have the obligation to "protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse."

Religious perspectives

Abrahamic religions

Christianity

See also: Christian ethics and Christian democracy
Evangelicalism

Time magazine noted that younger Evangelicals also increasingly engage in social justice. John Stott traced the call for social justice back to the cross, "The cross is a revelation of God's justice as well as of his love. That is why the community of the cross should concern itself with social justice as well as with loving philanthropy."

Methodism

From its founding, Methodism was a Christian social justice movement. Under John Wesley's direction, Methodists became leaders in many social justice issues of the day, including the prison reform and abolition movements. Wesley himself was among the first to preach for slaves rights, attracting significant opposition.

Today, social justice plays a major role in the United Methodist Church and the Free Methodist Church. The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church says, "We hold governments responsible for the protection of the rights of the people to free and fair elections and to the freedoms of speech, religion, assembly, communications media, and petition for redress of grievances without fear of reprisal; to the right to privacy; and to the guarantee of the rights to adequate food, clothing, shelter, education, and health care." The United Methodist Church also teaches population control as part of its doctrine.

Catholicism
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Main article: Catholic social teaching

Catholic social teaching consists of those aspects of Roman Catholic doctrine which relate to matters dealing with the respect of the individual human life. A distinctive feature of Catholic social doctrine is its concern for the poorest and most vulnerable members of society. Two of the seven key areas of "Catholic social teaching" are pertinent 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, from conception to natural death. Human life must be valued above all material possessions.
  • Preferential option for the poor and vulnerable: Catholics believe Jesus taught that on the Day of Judgement God will ask what each person did to help the poor and needy: "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." The Catholic Church believes that through words, prayers and deeds one must show solidarity with, and compassion for, the poor. The moral test of any society is "how it treats its most vulnerable members. 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."

Modern Catholic social teaching is often thought to have begun with the encyclicals of Pope Leo XIII.

  • Pope Leo XIII, who studied under Taparelli, published in 1891 the encyclical Rerum novarum (On the Condition of the Working Classes; lit. "On new things"), rejecting both socialism and capitalism, while defending labor unions and private property. He stated that society should be based on cooperation and not class conflict and competition. In this document, Leo set out the Catholic Church's response to the social instability and labor conflict that had arisen in the wake of industrialization and had led to the rise of socialism. The Pope advocated that the role of the state was to promote social justice through the protection of rights, while the church must speak out on social issues to teach correct social principles and ensure class harmony.
  • The encyclical Quadragesimo anno (On Reconstruction of the Social Order, literally "in the fortieth year") of 1931 by Pope Pius XI, encourages a living wage, subsidiarity, and advocates that social justice is a personal virtue as well as an attribute of the social order, saying that society can be just only if individuals and institutions are just.
  • Pope John Paul II added much to the corpus of the Catholic social teaching, penning three encyclicals which focus on issues such as economics, politics, geo-political situations, ownership of the means of production, private property and the "social mortgage", and private property. The encyclicals Laborem exercens, Sollicitudo rei socialis, and Centesimus annus are just a small portion of his overall contribution to Catholic social justice. Pope John Paul II was a strong advocate of justice and human rights, and spoke forcefully for the poor. He addresses issues such as the problems that technology can present should it be misused, and admits a fear that the "progress" of the world is not true progress at all, if it should denigrate the value of the human person. He argued in Centesimus annus that private property, markets, and honest labor were the keys to alleviating the miseries of the poor and to enabling a life that can express the fullness of the human person.
  • Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical Deus caritas est ("God is Love") of 2006 claims that justice is the defining concern of the state and the central concern of politics, and not of the church, which has charity as its central social concern. It said that the laity has the specific responsibility of pursuing social justice in civil society and that the church's active role in social justice should be to inform the debate, using reason and natural law, and also by providing moral and spiritual formation for those involved in politics.
  • The official Catholic doctrine on social justice can be found in the book Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, published in 2004 and updated in 2006, by the Pontifical Council Iustitia et Pax.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (§§ 1928–1948) contains more detail of the church's view of social justice.

Islam

In Muslim history, Islamic governance has often been associated with social justice. Establishment of social justice was one of the motivating factors of the Abbasid revolt against the Umayyads. The Shi'a believe that the return of the Mahdi will herald in "the messianic age of justice" and the Mahdi along with the Isa (Jesus) will end plunder, torture, oppression and discrimination.

For the Muslim Brotherhood the implementation of social justice would require the rejection of consumerism and communism. The Brotherhood strongly affirmed the right to private property as well as differences in personal wealth due to factors such as hard work. However, the Brotherhood held Muslims had an obligation to assist those Muslims in need. It held that zakat (alms-giving) was not voluntary charity, but rather the poor had the right to assistance from the more fortunate. Most Islamic governments therefore enforce the zakat through taxes.

Judaism

Main article: Tikkun olam

In To Heal a Fractured World: The Ethics of Responsibility, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks states that social justice has a central place in Judaism. One of Judaism's most distinctive and challenging ideas is its ethics of responsibility reflected in the concepts of simcha ("gladness" or "joy"), tzedakah ("the religious obligation to perform charity and philanthropic acts"), chesed ("deeds of kindness"), and tikkun olam ("repairing the world").

Eastern religions

Hinduism

The present-day Jāti hierarchy is undergoing changes for a variety of reasons including 'social justice', which is a politically popular stance in democratic India. Institutionalized affirmative action has promoted this. The disparity and wide inequalities in social behaviour of the jātis – exclusive, endogamous communities centred on traditional occupations – has led to various reform movements in Hinduism. While legally outlawed, the caste system remains strong in practice.

Traditional Chinese religion

Main article: Mandate of Heaven

The Chinese concept of Tian Ming has occasionally been perceived as an expression of social justice. Through it, the deposition of unfair rulers is justified in that civil dissatisfaction and economical disasters is perceived as Heaven withdrawing its favor from the Emperor. A successful rebellion is considered definite proof that the Emperor is unfit to rule.

Social justice movements

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Social justice is also a concept that is used to describe the movement towards a socially just world, e.g., the Global Justice Movement. In this context, social justice is based on the concepts of human rights and equality, and can be defined as "the way in which human rights are manifested in the everyday lives of people at every level of society".

Several movements are working to achieve social justice in society. These movements are working toward the realization of a world where all members of a society, regardless of background or procedural justice, have basic human rights and equal access to the benefits of their society.

Liberation theology

Main article: Liberation theology

Liberation theology is a movement in Christian theology which conveys the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions. It has been described by proponents as "an interpretation of Christian faith through the poor's suffering, their struggle and hope, and a critique of society and the Catholic faith and Christianity through the eyes of the poor", and by detractors as Christianity perverted by Marxism and Communism.

Although liberation theology has grown into an international and inter-denominational movement, it began as a movement within the Catholic Church in Latin America in the 1950s–1960s. It arose principally as a moral reaction to the poverty caused by social injustice in that region. It achieved prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. The term was coined by the Peruvian priest Gustavo Gutiérrez, who wrote one of the movement's most famous books, A Theology of Liberation (1971). According to Sarah Kleeb, "Marx would surely take issue", she writes, "with the appropriation of his works in a religious context...there is no way to reconcile Marx's views of religion with those of Gutierrez, they are simply incompatible. Despite this, in terms of their understanding of the necessity of a just and righteous world, and the nearly inevitable obstructions along such a path, the two have much in common; and, particularly in the first edition of , the use of Marxian theory is quite evident."

Other noted exponents are Leonardo Boff of Brazil, Carlos Mugica of Argentina, Jon Sobrino of El Salvador, and Juan Luis Segundo of Uruguay.

Health care

Social justice has more recently made its way into the field of bioethics. Discussion involves topics such as affordable access to health care, especially for low-income households and families. The discussion also raises questions such as whether society should bear healthcare costs for low-income families, and whether the global marketplace is the best way to distribute healthcare. Ruth Faden of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and Madison Powers of Georgetown University focus their analysis of social justice on which inequalities matter the most. They develop a social justice theory that answers some of these questions in concrete settings.

Social injustices occur when there is a preventable difference in health states among a population of people. These social injustices take the form of health inequities when negative health states such as malnourishment, and infectious diseases are more prevalent in impoverished nations. These negative health states can often be prevented by providing social and economic structures such as primary healthcare which ensures the general population has equal access to health care services regardless of income level, gender, education or any other stratifying factors. Integrating social justice with health inherently reflects the social determinants of health model without discounting the role of the bio-medical model.

Health inequalities

The sources of health inequalities are rooted in injustices associated with racism, sex discrimination, and social class. Richard Hofrichter and his colleagues examine the political implications of various perspectives used to explain health inequities and explore alternative strategies for eliminating them.

Human rights education

Main article: Human rights education

The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action affirm that "Human rights education should include peace, democracy, development and social justice, as set forth in international and regional human rights instruments, to achieve common understanding and awareness to strengthen universal commitment to human rights."

Ecology and environment

Main articles: Climate justice and environmental justice

Social justice principles are embedded in the larger environmental movement. The third principle of the Earth Charter is social and economic justice, which is described as seeking to eradicate poverty as an ethical, social, and environmental imperative, ensure that economic activities and institutions at all levels promote human development in an equitable and sustainable manner, affirm gender equality and equity as prerequisites to sustainable development and ensure universal access to education, health care, and economic opportunity, and uphold the right of all, without discrimination, to a natural and social environment supportive of human dignity, bodily health, and spiritual well-being, with special attention to the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities.

The climate justice and environmental justice movements also incorporate social justice principles, ideas, and practices. Climate justice and environmental justice, as movements within the larger ecological and environmental movement, each incorporate social justice in a particular way. Climate justice includes concern for social justice pertaining to greenhouse gas emissions, climate-induced environmental displacement, as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation. Environmental justice includes concern for social justice pertaining to either environmental benefits or environmental pollution based on their equitable distribution across communities of color, communities of various socio and economic stratification, or any other barriers to justice.

Criticism

This article's "criticism" or "controversy" section may compromise the article's neutrality. Please help rewrite or integrate negative information to other sections through discussion on the talk page. (August 2023)

Michael Novak argues that social justice has seldom been adequately defined. He wrote:

hole books and treatises have been written about social justice without ever defining it. It is allowed to float in the air as if everyone will recognize an instance of it when it appears. This vagueness seems indispensable. The minute one begins to define social justice, one runs into embarrassing intellectual difficulties. It becomes, most often, a term of art whose operational meaning is, "We need a law against that." In other words, it becomes an instrument of ideological intimidation, for the purpose of gaining the power of legal coercion.

Friedrich Hayek of the Austrian School of economics rejected the very idea of social justice as meaningless, self-contradictory, and ideological, believing that to realize any degree of social justice is unfeasible, and that the attempt to do so must destroy all liberty. He wrote:

There can be no test by which we can discover what is 'socially unjust' because there is no subject by which such an injustice can be committed, and there are no rules of individual conduct the observance of which in the market order would secure to the individuals and groups the position which as such (as distinguished from the procedure by which it is determined) would appear just to us. does not belong to the category of error but to that of nonsense, like the term 'a moral stone'.

Hayek argued that proponents of social justice often present it as a moral virtue but most of their descriptions pertain to impersonal states of affairs (e.g. income inequality or poverty), which are cited as "social injustice". Hayek argued that social justice is either a virtue or it is not. If it is, it can only be ascribed to the actions of individuals; however, most who use the term ascribe it to social systems, so social justice in fact describes a regulative principle of order; they are interested not in virtue but power. For Hayek, this notion of social justices presupposes that people are guided by specific external directions rather than internal, personal rules of just conduct. It further presupposes that one can never be held accountable for ones own behaviour, as this would be "blaming the victim". According to Hayek, the function of social justice is to blame someone else, often attributed to "the system" or those who are supposed, mythically, to control it. Thus, it is based on the appealing idea of "you suffer; your suffering is caused by powerful others; these oppressors must be destroyed." Ben O'Neill of the University of New South Wales and the Mises Institute argues:

the notion of "rights" is a mere term of entitlement, indicative of a claim for any possible desirable good, no matter how important or trivial, abstract or tangible, recent or ancient. It is merely an assertion of desire, and a declaration of intention to use the language of rights to acquire said desire. In fact, since the program of social justice inevitably involves claims for government provision of goods, paid for through the efforts of others, the term actually refers to an intention to use force to acquire one's desires. Not to earn desirable goods by rational thought and action, production and voluntary exchange, but to go in there and forcibly take goods from those who can supply them!

Psychologist Steven Pinker argues that social justice "sees society as a struggle for power, also zero-sum, among different sexes, sexual orientations, and races also has a contempt for science". Media commentator Jordan Peterson argues that social justice promotes collectivism and sees individuals as "essentially a member of a group" and "not essentially an individual". He also argues that social justice "view the world" as "a battleground between groups of different power". In response, Nathan J. Robinson, editor of left-wing magazine Current Affairs, argues that critics of social justice, such as Pinker and Peterson, often "move freely between terms like 'social justice warrior,' 'politically correct,' 'identity politics' and 'identitarian left'" and "want to tear it apart rather than to generously understand it. They like to go on about just how absurd it is, how the people who advocate it are such fools who are ignorant of data. But they don't ever try to listen."

See also

References

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  3. Aristotle, The Politics (ca 350 BC)
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