THEORIES

Theories of Social Justice and the Problem of Health Care

Theories of Social Justice and the Problem of Health Care

Social Justice

Justice is at the heart of many legal, political, religious and philosophical arguments. Social justice, a term coined by nineteenth century Catholic scholar Luigi Taparelli, refers to treating the poor and disenfranchised as equals within a given society. While different schools of thought vary widely on ways to solve this problem, the debate has become increasingly dominated by the theories of the late Harvard professor John Rawls.

Social justice implies a comparison (Gale & Densmore, 2000:11) that is made between individuals and/or groups to evaluate and achieve justice in social institutions like schools (EDCX348 Unit Handbook, 2006:29). This paper is concerned with how the interrelationship between academic success and the bootstraps metaphor relate to social justice in education. The discussion and definitions presented focus on the notion of academic success and its place in the retributive model of social justice (Gale and Densmore, 2000), followed by a critique of the models effectiveness in addressing the inequalities (on academic performance) arising from social class and poverty.

John Rawls is widely regarded as one of the most important political philosophers of the second half of the twentieth century. He is primarily known for his theory of justice as fairness, which develops principles of justice to govern a modern social order. Rawls' theory provides a framework that explains the significance, in a society assumed to consist of free and equal persons, of political and personal liberties, of equal opportunity, and cooperative arrangements that benefit the more and the less advantaged members of society.

Darrel Moellendorf writes that Rawls' conception of justice, like any conception of justice whatsoever, is an associational conception. It is about relationships between members of an association. Rawls is chiefly concerned with the political ...