This
may help us get started. I've talked with everyone here and tried to
come up with short summaries of how they would define justice.
Here's what I've got:
- Dee believes that justice consists in
respecting and protecting everyone's individual rights. She
considers herself a libertarian.
- Ann thinks that justice is part of a set of rules that maximize
human welfare. She considers herself a utilitarian with fairly
liberal political views.
- Fred thinks that justice must have a theological basis. There is
a final goal ordained by God for each human being.
Justice consists in providing people with whatever is needed to
reach that goal.
- John is, as usual, uncertain. (OK. OK. That's a joke. Sorry.) He
is fascinated by Aristotle's notion of a flourishing individual.
He wants to connect that flourishing with justice. Perhaps the
just society is one that provides each of us with the basic
protection and resources needed to flourish.
- Ayesha believes that we may have gone too far here in the
United States in defining and
stressing individual rights. She believes
that we need to restore a stronger sense of community and the common
good. Perhaps justice consists in each of us receiving our share
of that common good.
- In my own view, we're at a stage in history at which the most
important thing is the be aware of WHO gets to define justice. I'm
skeptical about general rules, but I know that a lot of people
have been excluded from the whole process of making rules.
Whatever justice is, we will be a lot closer to it when that
exclusion ends.
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