Restorative Justice

Paper Summary:

This paper takes an in-depth look at restorative justice, which fundamentally, is a theoretical mechanism devised to apply philosophical notions of what justice in our society is and how it should operate within our justice system. The paper discusses how restorative justice, as a social function, is an indication of how we, as a society, view the concept of justice from the perspective of moral philosophy.
The paper further reviews varying opinions and philosophies of respected thinkers and philosophers.

From the Paper:

"These three philosophers make up the core of what has come to be known as "the enlightenment." From Hobbes to Rousseau a definite progression can be seen; Hobbes laid the template for the age's arguments regarding political theory; he used the same tools that Locke would later use, but he employed them far more conservatively and with obvious consideration for the status quo.
Next was Voltaire, who agreed with the social contract model of justice, but from a perspective that lent significant credence to individual cultural beliefs and practices. Essentially, Voltaire seeks to identify some fundamental ethical ground upon which mankind can justify his actions, or at least, relegate them as either right or wrong. This is where he parts ways most severely with Locke. John Locke presents a number of travelers' tales describing many foreign practices--like cannibalism, and infanticide--that would be completely unacceptable in European society, but are deemed utterly moral in other societies. The point of these examples is to illustrate that the differences between intelligent and well-informed cultures regarding morality and justice are so stark, and so incongruous that no general statements regarding human morality can accurately be made."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ads by Google. "On Plato's Criticism of Democracy." Signet, 2006. Available: http://web.singnet.com.sg/~chlim/plato.html.
• Ayer, A. J. Voltaire. New York: Random House, 1986.
• Bjorklund, David and Anthony Pellegrini. "Child Development and Evolutionary Psychology." Child Development, vol. 71, issue 6, 2000.
• Brown, Stephen E. et al. Criminology: Explaining Crime and its Context. Cincinnati: Anderson Publishing, 1990.
• Davidson, Ian. Voltaire in Exile. New York: Grove Press, 2004.

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