2. The term ‘Social Justice’ is derived from a combination of two terms – ‘social’ and
‘justice’. While the latter implies fair opportunities or equality to all, the former
indicates towards various elements of a society, like class, gender, ethnicity/race,
religion, and caste, among others. Now, since these elements are hierarchically
arranged in any given society, it paves way for discrimination, often perpetuated
from the top to the bottom. This acts as an impediment in ensuring equality to all,
irrespective of their location in the hierarchy of these elements. Thus, taken
together ‘social justice’ implies ensuring fairness in opportunities.
3. The term ‘social justice’ was first used in 1840 by a Sicilian priest and Jesuit
scholar, Luigi Taparelli d'Azeglio, who was also an advisor to the Vatican. While
the exact usage of the term was not indexed then in the early 19th century, the
contemporary scholars* believe that he used the term to make a case for why poor
and disenfranchised people should be treated the same as others in society. (*Source:
Oduaran, Akpovire B., 2019, Reclaiming Commitment to Social Justice through Relevant Adult and Continuing
Education in Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa Education Review, 16(6), pp. 151-64)
Later, at the end of the 19th century, social reformers started using the term
‘social justice’ to make an appeal to the ruling classes to attend to the needs of the
new masses of uprooted peasants who had become urban workers, or dispossessed
during the rise of capitalistic era.
4. Now, in the 20th century, John Stuart Mill
gave social justice an almost omnipotent
status in his work, Utilitarianism, Liberty
and Representative Government (1960:
57-58):
“... we should treat all equally well ... who
have deserved equally well of us, and that
society should treat all equally well who
have deserved equally well of it, that is,
who have deserved equally well absolutely.
This is the highest abstract standard of
social and distributive justice, towards
which all institutions, and the efforts of all
virtuous citizens, should be made in the
utmost degree to converge.”
5. This academic contribution by Mill came against the backdrop of a certain socio-
political and economic events of global significance like the Wars, the Great
Depression and the annihilation of the colonial empires.
Another significant development that led to the codification of a moral code with
‘social justice’ as a core value, in the same period was the United Nations Charter
in 1945 and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights drafted in 1948.
6. Most conceptions of social justice refer to an egalitarian society that is based on
the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human
rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being.
Social justice means availability of equal social opportunities for the development
of personality to all the people in the society, without any discrimination on the
basis of caste, sex or race. No one should be deprived, because of these differences,
those social conditions which are essential for social development. (Source: Ahmad,
Wasim S. and M. Ashraf Ali, 2006, Social Justice and the Constitution of India, The Indian Journal of Political
Science, LXVII(4), pp. 767-82)
7. All social primary goods – liberty and opportunity, income and
wealth, and the basis of self-respect are to be distributed equally
unless an unequal distribution of any or all of these goods is to the
advantage of the least favoured. (Source: John Rawls. Theory of Justice. Delhi: Universal Law
Pub, 2002. p. 44)
According to B. R. Ambedkar, social justice is a means to create an
ideal or a just society. To him a just society is a casteless society,
based on the principles of social justice and a combination of three
components: liberty, equality and fraternity. (Source: Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Writings and Speeches, Vol. 3. Mumbai: Government of Maharashtra, 1987. p. 95)
8. Notions of social justice typically find their derivation in Plato's moral philosophy. The Greek
philosopher Plato saw justice as the true principle of social life. In his book The Republic,
Plato discusses the concept of justice through a dialogue with his friends like Cephalus,
Polemarchus and Glaucon.
Cephalus says justice consists in speaking the truth and paying one’s debt, while
Polemarchus explains justice is in giving to each man what is proper for him. “Justice is the
art which gives good to friends and evil to enemies.” Glaucon argues justice is in “the interest
of the weaker”.
Plato rejected all these definitions because they treated justice as something external and
artificial. For Plato, justice is the primary moral value and is intrinsically linked with other
essential and moral qualities.
9. According to Plato, in a society different classes must be given what is due to them
and that no class shall be allowed to dominate other classes. To him, justice is the
quality of the soul. It does not depend upon any external source or power and is the
voice of conscience of the man. He stated that human personality is a result of three
tendencies: knowledge, physical tendency, and spiritual tendency. The tendency of
spirit should rule the other tendencies. In a society, people with high spiritual
tendencies must rule the state and follow the ideals of reason, justice, courage, and
temperance. Justice means harmony among the people and between people and
society.
10. Another Greek philosopher, Aristotle, propounded the concept of ‘distributive justice’.
This approach concerns the distribution of goods, services, honour and offices among
the citizens of the state. It believes that the principle of distribution is based upon the
worth or virtue of an individual. It recognizes the distinction between the worthy and
the non-worthy. It observes that a man’s rights, duties and rewards correspond to his
merit and social contribution.
As a response, Aristotelian distributive justice is another name for proportionate
equality. The word ‘justice’ means fair treatment of people: which means law based on
the principles of justice and rationality, that is, equal rights and justice for all,
irrespective of class, sex, race or caste distinctions. It means that the state should deal
with people correctly and completely; it should be morally fair and reasonable; and it
should frame just laws and enact them justly.
11. UTILITARIANISM – Jeremy Bentham
MARXISM – Karl Marx
EXISTENTIALISM – Nietzsche and Manu
John Rawl’s Theory of Justice
AMBEDKARISM
12. The concept of social justice is multi-dimensional and has been viewed differently
by scholars of law, philosophy and political science. The term social justice is quite
comprehensive and presents as the balancing wheel between the haves and the
have not’s. Social justice is the equitable distribution of social, material and political
resources to all citizens. It seeks to remove all social, economic and political
inequalities and discriminations, and affords equal opportunities to all men and
women in social affairs and economic activities. Social justice is the product of social
injustice; it seeks to ensure equality of status and opportunity to all. In general, it
may be defined as “the right of the weak, poor, aged, destitute, children, women and
other under-privileged persons in society”.
