Justice
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- For other uses, see Justice (disambiguation).
Justice (French justice from Latin iustitia, from iustus "just") is a concept involving the fair, moral, and impartial treatment of all persons. In its most general sense, it means according individuals what they actually deserve or merit, or are in some sense entitled to. Justice is a particularly foundational concept within most systems of "law," and draws highly upon established and well-regarded social traditions and values. From the perspective of pragmatism, it is the name for a fair result.
In most cases what one regards as "just" is determined by consulting established and agreeable principles, employing logic, or, in certain systems, by consulting a majority. In social contexts where religion dominates, justice may be thought to require deference to religious texts or to spiritual guidance. If a person lives under a certain set law in a country, concepts of "justice" are often simply deferential to the existing law —the issuing of punitive reprimands for violations may be referred to as "serving justice." In principle, this fits the general concept in that the individuals get what is supposedly due to them.
Classically, justice was the ability to recognize one's debts and pay them. It was a virtue that encompassed an unwillingness to lie or steal. It was the basis for the code duello. In this view, justice is the opposite of the vice of venality.
In jurisprudence, justice is the obligation that the legal system has toward the individual citizen and the society as a whole.
Image:Luca Giordano 013.jpg Justice (in both senses) is part of the debate regarding moral relativism and moral objectivism: Is there an "objective standard" of justice, under which all actions should be judged, or is it acceptable for justice to have different meanings in different societies? Some cultures, for instance, see punishments such as the death penalty as being appropriate, while others decry such acts as crimes against humanity.
Image:US Department of Justice Scales Of Justice.svg In some cases, justice is not equated with laws. For instance, laws that supported slavery are now considered unjust laws such as the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 in the United States. Also, many laws of illegitimate governments are considered unjust. Further, the social justice movement questions the morality of laws that protect property rights without adequate protection of the poor, especially those laws governing international trade.
One popular theory of justice holds that if a person or government initiates coercion (or the threat of it) then it is acting unjustly; physical force may only be used in defense. As long as all persons and governments adhere to this standard, justice is being observed. This theory of justice is central to libertarianism.
See also
- Prisoners' rights
- Court of law
- Criminal justice
- Ethics
- High, middle and low justice
- Individual rights
- Kohlberg's stages of moral development
- Morality
- Scales of justice
- Social control
- Social justice
- Virtue
- Civil rights
External links
Template:Philosophy navigation Template:Portalparcs:Spravedlnost cy:Cyfiawnder de:Gerechtigkeit el:Δικαιοσύνη es:Justicia it:Giustizia fr:Justice he:צדק (מוסר) ja:正義 nl:Rechtvaardigheid pl:Sprawiedliwość pt:Justiça uk:Юстиція zh:司法