Every action pertaining to Justice references an ideal of justice, falling short of but in relative degrees pointing toward this ideal; an ideal which you say is indefinable and relatively unachievable in practical circumstances as we judge them. The best we can hope for in the world then is some relatively and subjectively determined fairness. I don’t disagree with any of that.
If we could remove all bias, remove lack of intelligence, remove incompleteness of knowledge, and remove corruption what would we be capable of? If human beings were able to liberate themselves from these infringements, theoretically human beings could realize an ideal of justice. And yet isn't that where our awareness rests, when we admit acts of justice don't achieve the ideal. Surely you agree we can be aware of things we can't fully explain, don't you?
So now I have declared ideal justice to be a theory and I will give my evidence.
One characteristic of Justice is that it is a compelling force. Human beings are discomforted in the presence of what they perceive to be injustice, up and to the point they are convinced satisfactory outcomes are achieved. Not just some human beings but all normal human beings are so inclined.
When there is any question of justice human beings are able to form opinions about it based on their circumstance which produces perspective.
It is assumed in questions of justice that normal human beings just have a sense of right and wrong as an a priori circumstance of the human condition.
Most educated people agree absolute justice cannot be applied to the imperfect human world, and by coming to such a conclusion they give reference to absolute justice.
Not entirely unlike Newton’s laws of motion, any injustice acts as a force to compel an equal and opposite reaction usually required of human participants. People and cultures develop elaborate systems for no other purpose than to accomplish this goal. I understand we often/always fail in our efforts but we never tire of the endeavor.
If you want to argue that systems of justice are created by cultures I wont disagree but that avoids the point. A Chinese or Indian villager would understand a translation of 'The Merchant of Venice.' Justice is dealt with by all cultures not some. It is, therefore, universal.
Justice is an ideal the world, its individuals, its institutions, and its cultures have failed to achieve. In fact justice in the world is often an illusory word which practically produces coercive power systems serving the elite and oppressing the weak. We know it more in breach than we do by its accomplishments. |
