Philosophy

Philosophy

Social Justice

The rise in inequality in the distribution of income among people is well-documented and displays the characteristics of a trend, having affected large numbers of countries, from the poorest to the most affluent, during the past two decades. Up to the 1980s, at least since the Second World War and in some cases since the beginning of the twentieth century, there had been a general narrowing of differences in the income available to individuals and families. Income-related inequalities, notably in the ownership of capital and other assets, in access to a variety of services and benefits, and in the personal security that money can buy, are growing. There is also greater inequality in the distribution of opportunities for remunerated employment, with worsening unemployment and underemployment in various parts of the world affecting a disproportionate number of people at the lower end of the socio-economic scale (Social Justice Research 2007).

The inequality gap between the richest and poorest countries, measured in terms of national per capita income, is growing as well. The popular contention that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer appears to be largely based on fact, particularly within the present global context. Moreover, extreme or absolute poverty, experienced by those whose income is barely sufficient for survival, remains widespread. Indigence levels have risen in the most affluent countries, in countries once part of the Soviet bloc and in various parts of Africa, but have remained stable in Latin America and have declined in Asia. Extreme poverty and the suffering it entails affect a large proportion of humankind, and major efforts by Governments and international organizations to reduce or eradicate poverty have thus far failed to produce the desired results. Do these facts and trends suggest a regression in social justice? The answer to this question, if considered within the framework of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,2 is not unequivocal.

The persistence, aggravation and very existence of extreme poverty constitute an injustice. Those experiencing dire poverty are deprived of a number of the fundamental rights invoked in the Charter and enumerated in the Universal Declaration. Individuals affected by internal conflicts and wars are also robbed of many of their basic freedoms and are thus victims of injustice as well. Hunger is but one face of poverty; discrimination, poor health, vulnerability, insecurity, and a lack of personal and professional development opportunities are among the many other challenges faced by the poor. The rise in poverty in all its manifestations, along with the increase in the numbers of refugees, displaced persons and other victims of circumstance and abuse, represents sufficient evidence for a judgment of persistent, if not growing, injustice in the world. Unlike justice in the broad sense, social justice is a relatively recent concept, born of the struggles surrounding the industrial revolution and the advent of socialist (and later, in some parts of the world, social democratic and Christian democratic) views on the organization of society (Sunstein ...