IB Philosophy 7.2 Justice Key Definitions

Distributive justice is the branch of ethics concerned with the fair allocation of resources, opportunities, and burdens across members of a society, addressing who gets what and on what basis.

the family of theories holding that equality is the foundational value of justice. Egalitarian positions range from strict equality (everyone should have the same) to luck egalitarianism (inequalities are unjust only when they arise from circumstances beyond an individual's control) to prioritarianism (priority should be given to the worst off, even if strict equality is not achieved).

the principle that individuals in relevantly similar circumstances should be treated identically, regardless of their particular characteristics. Formal equality guarantees equal treatment under the law but does not address pre-existing inequalities of wealth, power, or social position, which is why critics argue it can mask substantive injustice.

Natural rights are rights that individuals possess by virtue of their humanity, prior to and independent of any legal system or political institution. John Locke argued that the rights to life, liberty, and property are natural and inalienable, and a government that violates them forfeits its legitimacy.

Restorative justice is an approach to justice that focuses on repairing the harm caused by wrongdoing rather than on punishing the offender. It typically involves facilitated dialogue between victims, offenders, and the community, drawing on indigenous traditions as an alternative to retributive and purely utilitarian models.

Retributive justice is the theory that wrongdoers deserve punishment proportional to their offence, grounded in the moral principle that justice requires a fitting response to wrongdoing. Kant argued that punishing the guilty is a categorical imperative that honours the offender's status as a rational moral agent.

Social justice is the principle that the benefits and burdens of social cooperation should be distributed fairly among all members of society, addressing inequalities of wealth, opportunity, and power through institutional arrangements that respect the dignity and rights of every individual.

The veil of ignorance is a thought experiment central to Rawls's theory of justice, in which rational agents choose principles of justice without knowing their own social position, talents, or conception of the good, ensuring that the principles they select are fair to everyone.