Social Justice

                                     CHAPTER 4

                                      Social Justice

Introduction  

Our society requires justice so that we are able to have order and the well being of all the people. now the question is what kind of justice. rich people will  argue that they want a completely liberal society where market will rule and state will function merely to maintain law and order. this is justice for them. whereas socialists will say that justice is where state will occupy all resources and there is equal distribution of resources. so what is justice? important thinkers have given their own view point on justice.
what is justice?
justice involves the well being of all people. immanuel kant has argued that human beings possesses dignity. and if all persons are granted dignity , then they will have equal opportunity to develop their talents and pursue their chosen goals. justice means that we give equal consideration to all individuals.
Q&A
Q1. What is justice?
A1. . justice means giving equal consideration to all individuals.
Q2. What does immanuel kant says about justice?
A2. immanuel kant has argued that human beings possesses dignity. and if all persons are granted dignity , then they will have equal opportunity to develop their talents and pursue their chosen goals.
Equal treatment for equals
Equality does not mean that everybody should be treated equally. it means that equal treatment should be provided to equals only. This means that there can be equality of oppurtunity only when people are educated. that means equality of oppurtunity should be for equally educated. For example: everybody has equal access to law. but the irony is that only rich and educated people can access it. so, for poor people equal access to law does not mean anything. so make them equal PIL has been introduced. PIL is a process where anybody/group can file a petition in court on behalf of any aggrieved group. so now poor people have been brought at an equal platform.
so while talking about equal treatment we need to see whether they can be equally treated. for example: if a boss says that a male colleague in their office stays late at night. the boss cannot say the same thing to female colleague to stay late in  office. because the female has security problem at night. a boss can only tell male colleague to stay late till night. so only equals can be treated equally.
Q&A
Q1. Does equality mean that everybody should be treated equally?
A1. No
Q2. What is the meaning of equal treatment for equals?

A2. It means that equal treatment should be provided to equals only. This means that there can be equality of opportunity only when people are educated. So, while talking about equal treatment we need to see whether they can be equally treated. For example: if a boss says that a male colleague in their office stays late at night. The boss cannot say the same thing to female colleague to stay late in  office. Because the female has security problem at night. a boss can only tell male colleague to stay late till night. So only equals can be treated equally. 

proportionate justice.  

this is the second principle of justice. although equality is an important principle but we cannot have equal treatment for all. how will you feel if you have worked so hard fo your exams and you get the same marks as your friend who has slept and played during exams. you will feel this is injustice. so justice has to be according to the merit. it means rewarding people according to the scale and quality of effort. so for justice in society, equal treatment needs to be balanced with proportionality. 

Q&A

Q1. What is proportionate justice?

A1. Justice has to be according to the merit. It means rewarding people according to the scale and quality of effort. So for justice in society, equal treatment needs to be balanced with proportionality. 

Q2. What are the three principles of justice?

A2. A. equal treatment for equals.

b. proportionate justice

c. recognition of special needs

recognition of special needs

this is the third principle of justice. i will repeat the same point again that everybody cannot be treated equally. there are people with special needs also. for example: handicaps. these people have disabilities and cannot be compared with abled people. so state needs to help them and provide them facilities so that they can come equal to abled people. 

another example: we need to recognise that if women work at night then security issues arise. and we need to take note of that rather than comparing them with male colleagues.  

similarly, if a person lack good education , we cannot compare him/her with a convent educated student. for that government has provided reservations so that underprivileged children can be brought at par.

so, physical disbilities, lack of education and health care are some factors which are considered grounds for special treatment.

    

just distribution  

A society requires just distribution of goods and services for maintaing law and order. if there are deep inequalities in society, then it requires redistribution of goods and resources. for example: when india was unedr british rule, then zamindars had acquired vast swathes of land. But post independence, land reforms were carried out and land was redistributed among poor peasants. 

so as we have read in previous lessons that basic minimum quality of life needs to be provided so that one can enjoy equality of opurtunity. basic needs of life include housing, nourishment, clean drinking water, education and a minimum wage. If everybody does not have education, then open civil services examination does not have any value because only highly educated people can take examinations then. 

So just distribution means that resources and goods should be so distributed that everybody can enjoy minimum quality of life. if everybody does not have basic minimum resources then it should be redistributed from rich classes to poor classes. 

John Rawl's theory of justice

While reading this chapter, we might be thinking what kind of just society we want? john rawls, an important political thinker, has given a theory of justice to achieve a just state. he puts all individuals behind the 'veil of ignorance'. 'veil of ignorance' means that individuals are put in a position where they do not know what is their status, wealth, class, ability , talent etc. so these individuals will choose privileges which will affect them once they come out of veil of ignorance. Rawls said that these individuals are rational and will choose privileges which will help them in developing their fuller personality. so they will first choose liberty. Because if an individual has liberty then he/she will be able to achieve anything by his/her hard work. second they will want is equality of oppurtunity. that means all individuals should get the equal opportunity. they should not be discriminated on the basis of their caste, region, gender and religion.   

And third, they will demand is difference principle. It means that if any individual, after veil of ignorance, comes out  is disabled or unfortunate, then society should help that least advantaged person. 

This Rawl's theory of justice where rationality rather than moral thinking can lead us to have a fair and just society.

Q&A 

Q1. What is just distribution of resources? 

A1. A society requires just distribution of goods and services for maintaing law and order. if there are deep inequalities in society, then it requires redistribution of goods and resources. for example: when india was under british rule, then zamindars had acquired vast swathes of land. But post independence, land reforms were carried out and land was redistributed among poor peasants. 

Q2. What are basic needs of life?

A2. Basic needs of life include housing, nourishment, clean drinking water, education and a minimum wage. 

Q3. What is Rawl's theory of justice?

A3. john rawls, an important political thinker, has given a theory of justice to achieve a just state. he puts all individuals behind the 'veil of ignorance'. 'veil of ignorance' means that individuals are put in a position where they do not know what is their status, wealth, class, ability , talent etc. so these individuals will choose privileges which will affect them once they come out of veil of ignorance. Rawls said that these individuals are rational and will choose privileges which will help them in developing their fuller personality. so they will first choose liberty. Because if an individual has liberty then he/she will be able to achieve anything by his/her hard work. second they will want is equality of oppurtunity. that means all individuals should get the equal oppurtunity. they should not be discriminated on the basis of their caste, region, gender and religion.   

And third, they will demand is difference principle. It means that if any individual, after veil of ignorance, comes out  is disabled or unfortunate, then society should help that least advantaged person. 

This Rawl's theory of justice where rationality rather than moral thinking can lead us to have a fair and just society.

Q4. What is veil of ignorance?

A4.Rawls has talked about veil of ignorance in his theory of justice. He puts all individuals behind the 'veil of ignorance'. 'veil of ignorance' means that individuals are put in a position where they do not know what is their status, wealth, class, ability , talent etc.

Q5. What are the three principles in john rawls theory?

A5. A. liberty

b. equality of oppurtunity 

c. difference principle 

Pursuing Social Justice   

To pursue justice in society, different thinkers will argue differently to bring justice. some will say to bring free market so that everybody can pursue their own interests.  free market means that individuals should be free to own property and enter into contracts and agreements with each other regarding prices, wages and profits. they should be free to compete with each other to gain greatest amount of benefit.  they believe that if free markets are there, then less interference by state will ensure equal distribution of benefits and duties in society. nowadays, free markets are demanding state to step in to regulate markets like provision of health, education.

free market also allow us to have more choices. and moreover they provide good quality services in comparison to poor quality of services provided by governmental institutions. 

But free markets favor the privileged because they have money and resources to buy goods and services they want.  

so, politics is basically about just distribution of  goods and services. there are negotiations and compromises when there is distribution of resources.

Q&A

Q1. What is free market?

A1. free market means that individuals should be free to own property and enter into contracts and agreements with each other regarding prices, wages and profits. they should be free to compete with each other to gain greatest amount of benefit.

Q2. What are the advantages of free markets?

A2. In free markets, there is less interference by state which ensures equal distribution of benefits and duties in society. Free market also allow us to have more choices. And moreover they provide good quality services in comparison to poor quality of services provided by governmental institutions. 

Q3. What are the disadvantages of free markets ?

A3. free markets favor the privileged because they have money and resources to buy goods and services they want. 

NCERT Solutions for Class 11th: Ch 4 Social Justice Political Science

Page No: 66
Exercises

1. What does it mean to give each person his/her due? How has the meaning of “giving each his due” changed over time?
Answer
Giving each person his/her due means that providing justice by ensuring the well-being of the people.
The meaning of “giving each his due” changed over time, In today's world, it means understanding of what is due to each person as a human being. The German philosopher Immanuel Kant argued that if all persons are granted dignity then what is due to each of them is the opportunity to develop their talents and pursue their chosen goals.

2. Briefly discuss the three principles of justice outlined in the chapter? Explain each with examples.
Answer
Three principles of justice with examples are:
• Equal Treatment for Equals: It is the principle of treating equals equally as all individuals share certain characteristics as human beings. Therefore, they deserve equal rights and equal treatment. It includes civil rights like right to life, liberty and property, political rights like right to vote and social rights related to equal social opportunities. The people should not be discriminated against on grounds of class, caste, race or gender. They should be judged on the basis of their work and actions.
For example: if two persons from different castes perform the same kind of work, whether it be breaking stones or delivering Pizzas, they should receive the same kind of reward.
• Proportionate Justice: It is the principle of rewarding people in proportion to the scale and quality of their effort. It would be fair and just to reward different kinds of work differently if we take into account factors such as the effort required, the skills required, the possible dangers involved in that work, and so on. The principle of equal treatment needs to be balanced with the principle of proportionality. For example: The reward and compensation of police officer and clerk should be different according to skill and dangers involved.

• Recognition of Special Needs: This principle is for a society to take into account special needs of people while distributing rewards or duties. This is a way of promoting social justice. Physical disabilities, age or lack of access to good education or health care, are some of the factors which are considered grounds for special treatment in many countries. For example: The reservations of government jobs for people belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Tribes.

3. Does the principle of considering the special needs of people conflict with the principle of equal treatment for all?
Answer
No, the principle of considering the special needs of people does not conflict with the principle of equal treatment for all because the principle of treating equals equally could imply that people who are not equal in certain important respects could be treated differently. People with special needs or disabilities could be considered unequal in some particular respect thus special treatment require for integration with society.

4. How does Rawls use the idea of a veil of ignorance to argue that fair and just distribution can be defended on rational grounds?
Answer

Under idea of a veil of ignorance, only way we a person arrive at a fair and just rule is if he/she imagine themselves to be in a situation in which he/she have to make decisions about how society should be organised. There is complete ignorance about their possible position and status in society therefore he/she would rationally decide from the point of view of the worst-off. It would be sensible in this situation for everyone to ensure that all resources are available equally to all persons. Thus, Rawls, with his idea of 'veil of ignorance', is able to prove that fair and just distribution can be defended on rational grounds.

5. What are generally considered to be the basic minimum requirements of people for living a healthy and productive life? What is the responsibility of governments in trying to ensure this minimum to all?

Answer
Housing, supply of clean water, basic amount of nourishment to remain healthy, education and minimum wage are the basic minimum requirements of people for living a healthy and productive life.
The responsibility of governments in trying to ensure this minimum to all are:
• Government should encourage private agencies to provide services such as health care, education etc. and make policies that should try to empower people to buy those services.
• It might also be necessary for the government to give special help to the old and the sick who cannot compete.
• It should make availability of good quality goods and services at a cost people can afford.
• Government should maintain a framework of laws and regulations to ensure that competition between individuals remains free of coercion and other obstacles in market.

6. Which of the following arguments could be used to justify state action to provide basic minimum conditions of life to all citizens?
(a) Providing free services to the poor and needy can be justified as an act of charity.

► No, it is unjustified state action to provide basic minimum conditions of life to all citizens as services to the poor and needy are their rights. The government should not give these as charity.
(b) Providing all citizens with a basic minimum standard of living is one way of ensuring equality of opportunity.

► Yes, it is justified state action to provide basic minimum conditions of life to all citizens because it is basic responsibility of the government to provide opportunities for citizens.
(c) Some people are naturally lazy and we should be kind to them.

► No, it is unjustified state action to provide basic minimum conditions of life to all citizens as laziness is not physical handicap.

(d) Ensuring basic facilities and a minimum standard of living to all is a recognition of our shared humanity and a human right.

► Yes, it is justified state action to provide basic minimum conditions of life to all citizens.