Justice and a good society

Question 1

distributive justice

Answer 1

providing a just allocation of resource e.g. my mum should get more lipstick because she works hard.

Question 2

retributive justice

Answer 2

provides the wrongdoer suffering in proportion to their causation of suffering e.g. a criminal receiving life for committing murder.

Question 3

restorative justice

Answer 3

provides an outlet for growth and healing to occur e.g. community service time.

Question 4

Aristotle’s three domains of justice

Answer 4

1. correctional justice i.e. the penal system.
2. distributive justice i.e. division of resources.
3. transactional justice i.e. exchange of goods, “For an exchange to be just, the value of things exchanged must be equal.”

Question 5

negative rights vs. positive rights

Answer 5

Negative - one can only receive it if they have the means to receive it/deserve it. E.g. an affluent household will always have hot water.

Positive - one can receive a right even if they don’t have the means to do so. E.g. foreign aid helps provide millions of people with clean water each year.

Question 6

the government’s obligations to its members

Answer 6

1. security - laws, policy, defence;
2. prosperity - economic, social, other policies;
3. wisdom - through accessibility to education;
4. civil liberty - setting restrictions on govt. interference, allowing certain freedoms etc.; amd
5. democracy - through collective and representative decision-making.

Question 7

Singer’s standpoint

Answer 7

“You are morally obliged to donate to fighting famine and poverty. Your action of not giving is morally wrong. Give everything you have once necessities have been purchased.”

Question 8

criticisms to Rawls’ VOI

Answer 8

• ‘original position’ is too unrealistic and abstract because our desires are subjective and we cannot ignore our social status.
• people won’t always act conservatively.
• it is not a sustainable form of society.
• aid is a matter of benevolence/charity or the government, not justice.