Social Justice | Class 11 Political Science Notes

4.1 WHAT IS JUSTICE?

Justice has been a concern across cultures and ages, interpreted differently but always central to social order. In ancient India, justice was linked to dharma, the moral and social duty, with kings responsible for maintaining it. In China, Confucius emphasized justice through rewarding virtue and punishing wrongdoing. In ancient Greece, Plato examined justice in his work The Republic through dialogues questioning why justice matters. Glaucon argued that injustice seems beneficial if one can avoid punishment, but Socrates replied that universal injustice would harm everyone by destroying trust and security. Justice, therefore, is about the well-being of all, not just personal advantage. Immanuel Kant later added that justice requires recognizing human dignity and giving each person the opportunity to develop talents and pursue goals. Modern justice involves giving each person their due, respecting equality, and ensuring fairness beyond mere self-interest. This section introduces three principles of justice: equal treatment for equals, proportionate justice, and recognition of special needs, which societies try to balance to achieve fairness.

🔗 Connection: Introduces principles of justice which are elaborated in the following subsections on equal treatment, proportionate justice, and recognition of special needs.