What is justice?

[armyowalgreens]

I think this is an extremely relevant topic because we are always talking about injustices in the world. But what is Justice?


According to Webster, justice can be

“ 1 a: the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments”


I think that it is extremely important to focus on the phrase “the maintenance...of what is just” because it really defines the purpose of seeking out justice for wrongs. The purpose of seeking justice is to maintain what we consider to be a proper ethical system. In other words, we don't want people running around committing crimes.

Of course you could look even further into that by saying that the reason why we seek to keep a “proper ethical system” is so that we may preserve humanity and happiness (or simply the lack of suffering). So, in the end, the reason why we seek justice is so we can prevent humans from suffering. We do not seek justice because of a higher power. Justice should function purely on logical grounds.

There also needs to be a clear line established between justice and vengeance. Vengeance is the infliction of punishment or suffering because of some wrong. An act of vengeance is not taken with regard to how that act betters society. It is not taken with regard to anyone else's welfare. It is a SELFISH ACT.

An example of vengeance would be the father of a rape victim hunting down the rapist and killing him or her because of his anger. It is an action without regard for the rapists welfare or the welfare of society. It an irrational action based on anger.

That means that vengeance can never truly be just because justice is acting with more than just regard for ones self. Justice is a selfless action. It takes into account the welfare of everyone.



That is why the desire to lock up a 14 year old and 19 year old for the rest of their lives because of their crimes is not justice. It is vengeance.

That is why capital punishment is not justice. It is vengeance.


True justice would mean that we try as best we can to change the way that 14 and 19 year old thinks. True justice would be trying to change the way a murderer thinks.

It doesn't just take into account the welfare of the perpetrators. It also means that we care about the welfare of everyone in society. Who knows what the 14 and 19 year old are capable of? If they can turn their lives around, they can contribute to the betterment of man. The same goes for a murderer or any other criminal.

I am not saying that all criminals can change their lives. What I am saying is that we must give them the opportunity to do so. To do otherwise would be unjust.


If we truly want to function as a just society, we need to rethink the way we treat everyone.


That is all.
:) :)

[sharesunited]

1. Incarceration with criminals is de facto unjust.

An assisted suicide option should always be offered. Always. Otherwise you are just sentencing people to the inhuman struggle and intolerable suffering which exists inside the penal system.

[armyowalgreens]

2. If we are talking about this within the world of a messed up prison system,

you are correct.

But what we should also be working towards is fixing the prison system to be more than just a place to stick criminals. It should provide for proper rehabilitation.

[sharesunited]

7. The prison system only exists to punish. Rehabilitation is euphemistic window dressing.

Society does not welcome back those who have paid their debt to society.

Ex-cons are ostracized and parole is effectively forever.

Whomever survives going through the system to come out the other end must really really love life, and more power to them.

Offering an opt-out choice is demonstrably more humane.

[armyowalgreens]

9. That is why I said that we need to rethink how we treat people.

I honestly meant that. Society inherently views criminals as bad people. They will always be labeled as "convicted felons". You can see that by simply filling out a job application.

It's very sad. Especially if you know anyone who's been convicted of a felony. It follows them forever.

[armyowalgreens]

3. Also, that entire thing applies to Tillers killer.

I need to get that out there because there have been a lot of people with vengeful words around here.

[TahitiNut]

4. Justice is the only worship.

Justice is the only worship.
Love is the only priest.
Ignorance is the only slavery.
Happiness is the only good.
The time to be happy is now,
The place to be happy is here,
The way to be happy is to make others so.
-- Anon.

[armyowalgreens]

5. Very nice.

Awesome poem. I'll have to save that.

[TahitiNut]

10. It's on the right side of my DU Journal.

:shrug:

[undergroundpanther]

6. some people cannot be trusted

in their own bodies. It's sad but true.
Take pedophiles. They do not reform because they don't see anything wrong with the horrors they perpetuate.They think it is"love" and society has a hang up. Sociopaths as well they cannot be reformed.They can fool people into being used like a tool to get what the sociopath wants tho.

I see the death penalty as a tool designed for a simple purpose, to stop one criminal. A criminal that refuses to change,refuses to admit himself as the problem, a criminal whom cannot be trusted to not harm others with his body or exploit his freedom by ruining others lives in secret.
Sometimes the death penalty is just ,and it is the moral thing one must do,if you think deeper than the usual moral squeamish arguments on all sides that never seem to get past each others vengeance and misplaced pity..
Jails are caging criminals 23 hours a day in solitary confinement cells. That is indeed torture. To me being a PSTD survivor, death is preferable to day in day out locked in solitary. I know by personal experience being locked up in a little room day after day is indeed torture.Torture turns into a psychiatric injury that torments a person .Even if the incidents are long over with.Traumas can be re-triggered into the reality of the survivor and for the survivor it will feel the same as they day it happened.

Torture is ALWAYS wrong.Torture has no purpose except as a tool of vengeance,domination or exploitation.

Death however is sometimes required for some criminals,because they cannot be trusted within their own lives.
But right now I do not think the state or many people in this country as well has the moral wisdom and the courage to execute criminals in a just way.

[armyowalgreens]

8. Death should never be forced upon someone.

I'm all for assisted suicide for prisoners, but I am COMPLETELY against capital punishment.


First, you are attempting to marginalize a very important point.

"usual moral squeamish arguments on all sides that never seem to get past each others vengeance and misplaced pity."

ummm that is ridiculous.

My pity is placed on anyone who is forced to die. Everyone has the right to life.


If capital punishment is indeed punishment, it is vengeful. If it is to ease up the load on the prison system, it is heartless.

It is heartless and inhumane because it places the value of capital above the value of human life.

It is also a moot argument because there are very few prisoners on death row. The cost to keep them alive is very small compared to the expenses from the entire prison system of the US.

[madura]

11. Justice...it's a nice sounding word to corrall a few to think it is possible, ...

but we all know there really isn;t justice for all, at least in the legal system with power players that decide what justice is.

Its like asking what is life.

[armyowalgreens]

13. I'm not a big fan of cynicism.

“Life is not an easy matter... You cannot live through it without falling into frustration and cynicism unless you have before you a great idea which raises you above personal misery, above weakness, above all kinds of perfidy and baseness.” -Trostky

[leftofthedial]

12. in America, justice = $$$

[bridgit]

14. Totally depends on who you're talking to, shouldn't...but that's the way it is