The weakening of Social Justice.

In the growing debate on climate change, environmental activists are starting to acknowledge the multifaceted connection between climate and social justice.

Social justice is a relatively new topic (Aristotle focused redistributive justice) and is a theory that approach the key social and economic institute and how they determine the distribution and division of rewards and burdens. It is a relevant subject today, as the current social and political discourse fails to recognise there is a magnitude of injustice in society that systematically attack basic human rights. This is visible in domestic and international policies which does not permit a fair distribution of justice.

Social Justice itself is a matter of adhering to basic social entitlements such as access to food, clean water, security, clothing, adequate shelter, and thereby the distribution of any surplus, is in a fair and equitable way. Justice should not only be about about what is morally right but what we have a duty to do that morality compels us to act on.

Within the context of criminal justice, procedural justice involves questions of due process, fair trials, human rights and equality before the law, and these questions are pertinent in Nigeria today, as the government reported brutality against its citizen using state apparatus has highlighted the weakening of social justice.

Beliefs and justice does not seem to be a consistent concept as the state could be deemed as justified in making sure the individual carries out his duties to each other, but one could argue it is not justified in the state using coercive force apparatus such as the police, laws courts and prison to gets its citizen to act in a certain way. 

A dichotomy between beliefs and justice arises as society are obliged to obey (sometimes disobey) laws that are immoral, causes endangerment to humans or to the planet ecosystems, or laws they profoundly disagree with. This is a central argument in the political morality ideology, therefore, different political concept such as liberty, equality and democracy are important in the discussion of social justice. Social background, ethnicity and a host of personal characteristic can operate to impedes one’s access to justice.

Democracy as a concept could be considered one of the vaguest political terms in modernity.  Democracy derives from the ancient Greek word “demos” translating the ruling of the “people” or “mob” depending on one’s political ideology. The theory stipulates that political power should ultimately be in the hands of the adult population, and that a minority group does not have the authority to rule. However, this means power is only given to one section of society, and this could create an environment where social justice becomes eroded as people are ruled based on their own interest which may exacerbate inequalities. 

It is argued democracy could be less than useful in the call for social justice unless society is free of distortion and can identify their needs collectively in terms of social and political progress. Democracy operates best if politicians and voters move beyond rhetoric and cautiously consider the principles that should govern their society to achieve and maintain climate and social justice.

Author: Keithia Grant

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