The problem with assigning the need for “justice” to every human endeavor is the concept is indelibly tied to the prejudices of the observer. Ten people observing a binary outcome might well have 10 very different views about how “just” the result is, completely independent of the actual result.
Ambiguous platitudes like “fairness” is fine to aspire. It’s good when things are considered fair. Life often isn’t, and the concept doesn’t apply well to real-world events. It can be fair when a poor athlete succeeds over a more privileged athlete. It’s also fair when a faster runner defeats a slower runner. What about when a faster privileged athlete defeats a slower, poorer athlete? Or a poorer, faster athlete loses out to a more privileged but slower athlete? Fair is a good thing, but it can’t be defined clearly enough to make an operating principle beyond simply ensuring an open competition.
Likewise justice outside a formal legal setting has no definable boundaries. Each observer colors the outcome according to their observation. Activist groups aggressively apply the term to their own interests, most commonly to deny justice (dare I say “fairness”) to their perceived opposition.
Much like watery tarts lying in ponds distributing swords, any form of focused justice (social justice, reproductive justice, etc.) is no basis for a system of government.
The problem with assigning the need for “justice” to every human endeavor is the concept is indelibly tied to the prejudices of the observer. Ten people observing a binary outcome might well have 10 very different views about how “just” the result is, completely independent of the actual result.
Ambiguous platitudes like “fairness” is fine to aspire. It’s good when things are considered fair. Life often isn’t, and the concept doesn’t apply well to real-world events. It can be fair when a poor athlete succeeds over a more privileged athlete. It’s also fair when a faster runner defeats a slower runner. What about when a faster privileged athlete defeats a slower, poorer athlete? Or a poorer, faster athlete loses out to a more privileged but slower athlete? Fair is a good thing, but it can’t be defined clearly enough to make an operating principle beyond simply ensuring an open competition.
Likewise justice outside a formal legal setting has no definable boundaries. Each observer colors the outcome according to their observation. Activist groups aggressively apply the term to their own interests, most commonly to deny justice (dare I say “fairness”) to their perceived opposition.
Much like watery tarts lying in ponds distributing swords, any form of focused justice (social justice, reproductive justice, etc.) is no basis for a system of government.