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Social justice

What does "sociail justice" mean to you?

  • Equality

    Votes: 13 22.8%

  • Solidarity

    Votes: 7 12.3%

  • Wealth redistribution

    Votes: 21 36.8%

  • Socialism

    Votes: 16 28.1%

  • Justice

    Votes: 17 29.8%

  • Unjustice

    Votes: 11 19.3%

  • Good

    Votes: 9 15.8%

  • Evil

    Votes: 9 15.8%

  • Prosperity

    Votes: 7 12.3%

  • Other

    Votes: 17 29.8%
  • Total voters
    57
Canell

Canell

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Hi

I was thinking about "social justice" and wondered what it means to you when you hear the term. Please, explain. :)
 
when I use the term I'm refering to the Judeo-Christian concept of the term, Justice in Hebrew mishpat and tsedaqah, zedaqaht refers to obligatory charity, charity meaning not just giving, but you're attitude toward others, Misphat refers to an obligation to do whatever is necessary to increase the quality of a person’s welfare Justice, and in Christian thought Agape, is the thought of universal and principled love, in the early church this was materialized in communal economic structure.

Social Justice to me means treating humans as ends in themselves, not means to an ends, in the sence that society is about the wellbeing for everyone in society, social justice is society doing it's job as a society, which is making maximizing the wellbeing of everyone, and giving everyone the opportunity to maximize their own wellbeing.

http://www.debatepolitics.com/religious-discussions/156925-social-justice.html
 
From a religious point of view, I would say that "Social Justice" has come too much to mean the encouragement of others to break the 10th Commandment so that you may break the first by elevating yourself.

From a political point of view, much the same - it is the encouragement of resentment an greed in order to justify taking from some to give to others.
 
Been a while since I took ethics, all the dusty names and dates have long since been overwritten by booze and video games.

If pressed for a response, I'd mumble something about liberalism and preventing people from dying of homelessness, starvation and easily treated diseases.
 
Canell said:
Don't these two contradict each other? How could charity be obligatory?
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Depends on your view on what charity is, I use the term in the biblical way, i.e. long-kindness, and it's obligatory because God demands that society be set up that way, so take the gleaning laws, the farmers land did not belong to him, it was Gods land, and God decided that part of the produce belongs to the poor, this was part of the foundation of society.

Justice
 
In most historical instances, "social justice" is just the plain old injustice in dire need of a decent pseudonym.
guillotine.jpg
 
The phrase 'social justice' has been tainted by those who feel justified in demanding from others what they have not earned for themselves.

What it USED TO mean, IMO, was voluntarily helping those who are desperately trying to improve their position by the sweat of their brow, and those who have found an inpenetrable wall in their path that they need help climbing over.
 
Canell said:
OK, but can we stick to the secular meaning of "social justice", please. :) If possible, of course. Thanks.
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I don't think you can take the word away from it's religious roots ...
 
GottaGo said:
The phrase 'social justice' has been tainted by those who feel justified in demanding from others what they have not earned for themselves.

What it USED TO mean, IMO, was voluntarily helping those who are desperately trying to improve their position by the sweat of their brow, and those who have found an inpenetrable wall in their path that they need help climbing over.
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It never meant philanthropy ....

Also demanding form others waht they have not earned for themselves is the basis of capitalism, they demand the fruits of other people's labor on the basis of their control of land and capital.
 
RGacky3 said:
It never meant philanthropy ....

Also demanding form others waht they have not earned for themselves is the basis of capitalism, they demand the fruits of other people's labor on the basis of their control of land and capital.
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The giving of personal time and knowledge to help others achieve their goals is a step to Social Justice. Giving people who otherwise might not have the opportunity to reach levels of equality, that step forward.

No, demanding from others what they have not earned for themselves has nothing to do with capitalism. Capitalism provides goods or services at a price, which only you can deem worthy of what price they ask.

Those who believe they have a right to something they have not earned, nor are willing to contribute to the societal pool, but only take from it, are the ones who have tainted the phrase.
 
RGacky3 said:
I don't think you can take the word away from it's religious roots ...
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Why not? If we can take man away from religion, why not do the same with a term?

P.S. Please, consider this.
 
GottaGo said:
The giving of personal time and knowledge to help others achieve their goals is a step to Social Justice. Giving people who otherwise might not have the opportunity to reach levels of equality, that step forward.

No, demanding from others what they have not earned for themselves has nothing to do with capitalism. Capitalism provides goods or services at a price, which only you can deem worthy of what price they ask.

Those who believe they have a right to something they have not earned, nor are willing to contribute to the societal pool, but only take from it, are the ones who have tainted the phrase.
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SOcial justice ... is by definition, not an individual endevor, it's the way society is set up ...
 
Canell said:
Why not? If we can take man away from religion, why not do the same with a term?
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Because it is a religious term .... if you want to understand the concept you have to understand it's foundation, which in this case, is the judeo-christian framework.
 
If taxation is theft, then privitization is theft as well ...
 
RGacky3 said:
Because it is a religious term .... if you want to understand the concept you have to understand it's foundation, which in this case, is the judeo-christian framework.
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So, we end up with "God is the source of all morality" and social justice being an attempt to repair flawed human nature, created by that same God?
 
Canell said:
So, we end up with "God is the source of all morality" and social justice being an attempt to repair flawed human nature, created by that same God?
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No, Social justice can be secular, but the term has been historically used religiously, and you can't really explain it without talking about Christian concepts like Universalism.

I don't think social justice is an attempt to repair flawed human nature, it's a way to live with our flawed human nature together while trying to boost and incentives our good qualities and our humanity, and our solidarity (I voted solidarity).
 
Imagine a society in which 1% contributes to making the society better and 99% get most of the benefits. Then imagine a society in which 99% contribute to making a better society and only 1% gets most of the benefits. Social Justice is finding the optimum, socially fair balance between those two extremes.
 
Merely justice. Anyone seeing anything else has been drinking some koolaid, IMHO.
 
RGacky3 said:
No, Social justice can be secular, but the term has been historically used religiously, and you can't really explain it without talking about Christian concepts like Universalism.
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Yes. I think THIS may draw your attention. ;)
 
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