Essay on Should Justice be the Supreme Virtue of Societies

Should Justice be the Supreme Virtue of Societies? Social justice is distributive. It operates under the principle that each person must get his or her due. However, it is quite contentious as to precisely what each persons due is and thus opens the debate as to what justice is. Moreover, once a definition of justice is agreed upon (in a particular state), the question may be raised of how important it is. Is justice salient, or is there another concept that transcends its authority? Some argue that an aggregative concept would best suit a first principle (if indeed there were one). I would argue that justice is indeed salient, that without it there would be no such thing as civil society and†¦show more content†¦The conclusion that may be drawn from this is rather more subtle. It is that justice is derived from a starting point of equality. Social Contract theorists such as Rousseau and Locke, suggest that this equal starting point is an imaginary one whereby individuals come together and give all that they possess, both physically and non-physically to the State. They do this because they realise that if everybody gives equally (i.e. everything) then nobody loses anything, as the state (which is constituted by the individuals) possesses all things. From here on it is possible to provide protection by the state, and those objects that were once possessions now become property. More recently, John Rawls has taken a slightly different approach to this classic Contract Theory. Rawls argues that if we take people in an original position we would find that rational people would choose a set of principles that would call justice fairness. This original position that he refers to is a hypothetical situation in which rational people were held behind a veil of ignorance in that their destined social status and wealth would not be known. He argues that the persons in the original position would choose two rather different principles: the first requires equality in the assignment of basic rights and duties,Show MoreRelatedPlato And Aristotle On Justice And Law1565 Words   |  7 Pageslaws should be supreme over each citizen including the ruler(s). In their writings, Plato and Aristotle focused on justice and law, and the reasons they are important in society. Throughout history, many leaders have looked to these writings in hopes of establishing order and discip line in their nation through law. 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