Distributive justice
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Distributive justice concerns what is just or right with respect to the allocation of goods in a society. Thus, a community whose individual members are rendered their due would be considered a society guided by the principles of distributive justice. Often contrasted with procedural justice, which is concerned with just processes such as in the administration of law, distributive justice concentrates on just outcomes and consequences. The most prominent contemporary theorist of distributive justice is the philosopher John Rawls.
[edit] Distributive justice and wealth
Distributive justice considers the distribution of goods among members of society at a specific time, and on that basis, determines whether the state of affairs is acceptable. For example, someone who evaluates a situation by looking at the standard of living, absolute wealth, wealth disparity, or any other such utilitarian standard, is thinking in terms of distributive justice. Generally, those people who hold egalitarianism to be important, even implicitly, rely on notions of distributive justice.
However, not all advocates of consequentialist theories are concerned with an equitable society. What unites them is the mutual interest in achieving the best possible results, or in terms of the example above, the most perfect distribution of wealth.
[edit] See also
- Retributive justice
- Restorative justice
- Injustice
- Utilitarianism and/or Consequentialism
- Extended sympathy
- Distribution (economics)
- Justice (economics)
- Wikileaks
- Teaching for social justice
