Chapter 4: Social Justice
- What is social justice?
Social justice means fair and equal treatment of all individuals in society, ensuring access to opportunities, rights, and resources, especially for the marginalized. - Why is social justice important?
It promotes equality, dignity, and harmony in society by correcting historical wrongs and preventing discrimination and exploitation. - What is the relationship between justice and equality?
Justice ensures equality by treating everyone fairly. It may require treating unequals differently to achieve real equality (e.g., reservations). - What is distributive justice?
Distributive justice focuses on fair allocation of wealth, resources, and opportunities among all sections of society. - What is the difference between social and legal justice?
Legal justice deals with laws and courts, while social justice involves moral and societal fairness in treating all people equally. - What is the utilitarian view of justice?
Utilitarianism defines justice as the greatest good for the greatest number, even if it causes harm to a few. - What is the libertarian view of justice?
Libertarians believe in minimal state intervention and that individuals have full rights over their property and income. - What is John Rawls’ theory of justice?
Rawls proposed that justice means fairness, achieved by making decisions from an “original position” behind a “veil of ignorance.” - What is the veil of ignorance?
It is a hypothetical situation where individuals design laws without knowing their social status, ensuring fairness and impartiality. - What are Rawls’ two principles of justice?
- Equal basic liberties for all
- Inequalities must benefit the least advantaged and ensure fair equality of opportunity
- What is affirmative action in social justice?
It refers to policies like reservations to uplift disadvantaged groups and correct historical injustices. - How is social justice ensured in the Indian Constitution?
Through Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Policy, reservations, and welfare laws. - What is the role of the state in ensuring justice?
The state ensures fair laws, provides welfare schemes, and promotes equal access to education, health, and employment. - What is meant by dignity in justice?
Justice ensures that every person is treated with respect, free from humiliation or degradation. - How does caste inequality relate to social justice in India?
The caste system created rigid hierarchies and oppression, requiring special efforts to ensure justice for Dalits and lower castes. - What are Directive Principles of State Policy?
They are guidelines for governments to establish a just society by promoting education, health, and equality (non-enforceable but essential). - What is gender justice?
Gender justice aims to eliminate discrimination based on sex and ensure equal rights and opportunities for all genders. - How does education promote social justice?
Education empowers people, reduces inequalities, and opens up opportunities for the disadvantaged, helping achieve fairness in society. - What is social exclusion?
It means being denied access to rights, resources, or participation due to identity factors like caste, gender, or disability. - What is inclusiveness in justice?
Inclusiveness ensures all groups, especially the marginalized, have equal participation in political, social, and economic life. - What is economic justice?
It ensures fair wages, wealth distribution, and decent living standards for all, especially the poor. - How can discrimination be removed?
Through laws, awareness, education, affirmative policies, and active participation of citizens in promoting equality and tolerance. - What is the role of civil society in promoting justice?
NGOs, activists, and communities raise awareness, challenge injustice, and help enforce social justice at the ground level. - What is justice as desert?
It means people should get rewards or punishments based on their actions, efforts, and merits. - What is procedural justice?
It focuses on fair and transparent processes in decision-making and implementation of laws. - How does the judiciary uphold social justice?
By interpreting laws in favor of the weak and striking down unfair practices and policies. - What are the challenges to achieving social justice?
Casteism, poverty, illiteracy, gender bias, and unequal access to resources hinder real justice. - What is environmental justice?
It ensures all people, especially the poor, are protected from environmental harm and have equal access to clean resources. - Can social justice justify inequality?
Yes, when inequality benefits the disadvantaged (like reservations), it can be justified as part of corrective justice. - What is the ultimate goal of social justice?
To create an inclusive, fair, and equal society where everyone lives with dignity, rights, and equal opportunity.