James Balwin, affirms that is the notion of epistemic privilege, which develops as a result of unequal power relationships in societies. While power is often concentrated in the center of society, those individuals on the margins often gain the greatest appreciation of the existence and complexity of various forms of inequality. This appreciation grants them with a type of epistemic privilege. “The trouble about diversity, then, just that people differ from another. The trouble is produced by a world organized in ways that encourage people to use difference to include or exclude, reward or punish, credit or discredit, elevate or oppress, value or devalue, leave alone or harass’.…
John Rawls’ Fairness Approach is an appropriate ethical framework to use when assessing this dilemma. This approach questions if everyone involved is being treated fairly (is there favoritism and discrimination?). The Fairness Approach examines how fairly or unfairly the actions of an individual or group distribute benefits and burdens everyone else. With this approach, consistency of treatment among persons is key. The only insistence when treatment must differ is if there is a morally relevant difference between people (Andre, Meyer, Shanks, Velasquez, 1989). There are three different kinds of justice -- Distributive, Restorative, and Compensatory. Distributive justice focuses on the benefits and burdens evenly distributed amongst society’s…
3. True or false? Rawls' view of social justice includes people making choices to protect those who are in a lesser position in society.…
At the root of all injustice, whether past or present, is an underlying human selfishness and flawed decision-making ability. For example, in the past, during the Scottsboro Trial of the 1930s, 9 innocent African American teenagers underwent a wrongful accusation and years of suffering in prison simply because of their race. This injustice highlights selfishness because the women who accused these boys of rape were thinking solely about the protection of themselves; not wanting to arrested for being prostitutes, but not thinking about how the false accusation could and would ruin and torture the boys’ lives. In addition, the jury showcased flaws of the human ability to make choices, as they let the social norm and racist bias of the time…
The United States Pledge of Allegiance is an honorable and commendable mantra. It concludes with, “one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.” Justice in the former reference is inclusive for everyone, an entitlement, granted upon birth. John Rawls position of justice is that “everyone should be treated equally and as fair as possible”. Mr. Rawls position parallels the Egalitarian theory of equality and mutual respect. This isn’t necessarily the practice because contrary to the hope for multiple factors are factored in to the outcome.…
Theories of justice are also referred to in the article. These theories utilize concepts by John Rawls which include ideas on how to “create an environment of opportunity and access by all to the most comprehensive range of prospects” (Colin, 2012, p. 444). This theory can lead to a society where individuals are given opportunities to succeed.…
References: Barry, B. (1989). A treatise on social justice: Theories of justice. (Vol. 1). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.…
John Rawls bases his Theory of Justice on the intuitive conviction that justice as fairness is the first virtue of social institutions. He argues that in order to ensure fair distributions of advantages in society, a workable set of principles are required in order to determine how institutions ought to distribute rights and duties and to establish a clear way to address competing claims to social advantages. The second principle that Rawls develops stipulates that economic and social inequalities are justifiable so long as the requirements of fair equality of opportunity have been met and if they benefit the worst off in society. Rawls argues that the requirement of improving the conditions of the worst off, known as the Difference Principle,…
John Rawls’ A Theory on Justice establishes standards by which we may evaluate justice in society. In assessing the United States in light of the Rawlsian principles of social justice, it is evident that America falls short of these standards, and yet this discord tolerated in America. While this incongruity does in fact affect the lives of many Americans, particularly the underpriviledged, in practice very little is done to lessen inequality so as to achieve the Rawlsian ideal of social justice in America.…
Simons, K. (2000). On equality, bias crimes, and just deserts. Retrieved March 29, 2008, from…
A just society should be one that leads to progression and protects an individual's rights and freedoms. In this paper I will take Rawls position that we would create a more just society by creating a minimum standard of living for everyone. One of the main points presented in Nozick’s theory is that redistribution is wrong because it is unjust to steal resources that were justly earned from one person and to give it to someone else. In principle Nozick is correct that redistribution is unjust in the sense that we are taking resources from one person to give to another, however, Nozick’s view doesn’t account for the fact that people aren’t born with equal opportunity so without redistribution it results in a hierarchy that keeps increasing.…
People always sway the limitations of freedom for personal gain. “The idea that justice means respecting freedom and individual rights” has been tossed about in our courts and communities tirelessly. Part of the basis of the United States is freedom; the bill of rights lists ways in which the government must respect people’s most basic freedoms. Sandel talks about two different camps, the laissez-faire camp and the fairness camp, each arguing for freedoms but in their own way. The laissez-faire camp doesn’t believe in government or community policies, but in each person’s voluntary choices. However, the fairness camp believes “justice requires policies that remedy social and economic disadvantages” which in turn will give everyone a shot. An example of moral judgment and freedom is the first amendment in the Bill of Rights. Everyone is granted the freedom to talk about whatever they please, whether it upsets other or not. In certain situations although a right some things should not be said and knowing that difference takes moral judgment.…
People judge others for showing their true self even though they’re not true to themselves. This is evident in the “Minister’s Black Veil” when all of the people judge Mr. Hooper for wearing the veil. “I don’t like it,” muttered an old woman, as she hobbled into the meeting house. “He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face” (267). This theme is also clear when Mr. Hooper’s wife tries to force him to take the veil off. “Lift the veil but once, and look me in the face,” she said (272). Another scene this theme is shown in was when the people accused him of hiding his face because of a secret sin. “But what is the world will not believe that it is the type of an innocent sorrow?” urged Elizabeth. “Beloved and respected…
The issue of distributive justice is relevant in our society due to current thoughts on economic inequality in politics. The political philosophers John Rawls and Robert Nozick have differing views when it comes to the topic of distributive justice. This analyze the positions of John Rawls and Robert Nozick, finding that Nozick’s view of distribution is preferable to Rawls’ difference principle because people deserve to keep what they earn and their earnings should not be taken away from them because that would be a violation of their personal liberties.…
Polastre, Shevonne. "WHO Reports Shows 2.5 Million People Die of Alcohol-Related Deaths." Stop Alcohol Deaths. 15 Feb. 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. <http://stopalcoholdeaths.com/2011/02/reports-shows-25-million-people-die-alcoholrelated-deaths/>.…