Social Justice

Term Paper # 99309

Philosophy
Sociology > Theory

Social Justice

This paper explores the idea of social justice; that a society should provide equal treatment to all its members.

1,263 words () | 3 sources | MLA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper reviews the concept of social justice and argues that social justice is fundamentally about giving people what they deserve, as well as fundamental things they need. The paper focuses specifically on how the "rewards" of society should be apportioned if social justice is to be achieved. The paper concludes that a just society is one in which basic services are readily available to all, but where the "perks" of modern living are made available in proportion to one's social utility.

From the Paper:

"One of the cornerstones of any philosophical discussion devoted to social justice is the idea that people should be given what they "deserve". Among other things, this means that people who do wrong should be punished according to the severity of their crimes and that people who "do good" or who achieve excellence in their field of endeavor should be rewarded for their actions. Obviously, things like punishment and reward go to the heart of our criminal and civil justice system and it may be said, at least to the extent constitutional safeguards in America ensure that punishment is (usually) proportionate to the offense in question ("U.S. Constitution: Eighth Amendment" 2006), that America has developed into a society fairly cognizant of social justice ideals."

Sample of Sources Used:

Churchill, L. (1985). Medical care for the poor: finite resources, infinite need. Health Progress, 66(10): 32-35.
Distributive Justice. (2003, September 8). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved August 22, 2006, from <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/justice-distributive/>
U.S. constitution: eighth amendment. (2006). Findlaw: For Legal Professionals. Retrieved August 22, 2006, from <http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment08/>