POLITICAL THEORY – JUSTICE
Moral Rightness • Fairness • Distribution • Social Order
1️⃣ WHAT IS JUSTICE?
Justice means giving each person what they deserve.
It is the foundation of legitimacy of any political system.
Without justice, power becomes oppression.
2️⃣ CLASSICAL VIEW – PLATO & ARISTOTLE
🔹 Plato
Justice means harmony — each class performing its proper role.
🔹 Aristotle
Justice is giving equals equal and unequals unequal in proportion.
He distinguished:
- Distributive Justice – Fair distribution of resources
- Corrective Justice – Rectifying wrongs
3️⃣ LIBERAL JUSTICE
Focus on individual rights and freedom.
- Justice protects liberty
- Equal opportunity
- Rule of law
Modern liberal justice balances liberty and equality.
4️⃣ MARXIST VIEW OF JUSTICE
Marx criticized liberal justice as class-biased.
According to Marx:
- Capitalism creates exploitation
- Justice requires abolition of class system
- “From each according to ability, to each according to need.”
5️⃣ RAWLS – THEORY OF JUSTICE
John Rawls gave the most influential modern theory.
🔹 Original Position
People decide principles of justice behind a “veil of ignorance”.
🔹 Two Principles
- Equal basic liberties for all
- Inequalities allowed only if they benefit the least advantaged (Difference Principle)
Rawls combines liberty with equality.
6️⃣ NOZICK – ENTITLEMENT THEORY
Robert Nozick rejected redistribution.
- Justice depends on how property was acquired
- Minimal state
- No forced redistribution
Debate: Rawls vs Nozick
7️⃣ SOCIAL JUSTICE IN INDIA
- Reservation policies
- Article 14–17
- Directive Principles
- Welfare state model
Indian justice focuses on correcting historical caste discrimination.
8️⃣ GLOBAL & CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
- Economic inequality
- Climate justice
- Gender justice
- Digital justice
- Inter-generational justice
9️⃣ UPSC MAINS QUESTIONS
- Discuss Rawls’ theory of justice.
- Is liberal justice compatible with social justice?
- Compare Rawls and Nozick.
- Explain Marxist critique of justice.
- Discuss social justice in the Indian Constitution.
🔟 QUICK REVISION MAP
- Plato → Harmony
- Aristotle → Proportion
- Liberal → Rights + Rule of law
- Marx → Class abolition
- Rawls → Veil of ignorance
- Nozick → Minimal state
- India → Social justice + Reservation
Justice is the moral compass of politics. Without justice, democracy collapses.
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