Assessement of the Claim that a Just Society Must Be an Equal One - Essay Example

Assess the claim that a just society must be an equal one. Although many contend that a just society in which absolute equality exists is difficult to attain, the claim that a just society must be an equal one is a rational assertion and societies must struggle to create equality in every aspect of the lives of individuals. However, the concept of 'equality', for the most part, often evokes a sense of vagueness and confusion. This is rooted from the fact that not only is the notion of 'being equal' difficult to define, it is also a disputed concept. In addition, the idea of equality has been regarded as parallel to the doctrines of 'communism'- a concept which makes most of us feel apprehensive and skeptical about as we have seen the collapse of this system in the last half of the previous century. Apart from that, a plethora of definitions for the terms 'just' and 'equal' also replete the world of politics and literature. Thus, a logical, prudent and justifiable definition must be put forward. As I assert that a just society can achieve equality of treatment to its citizens as long as the concept of 'equal' is well defined and is founded on freedom and respect of the rights of individuals, I contend that the definition should not be a utopian contention nor founded on Marxist doctrines, sometimes referred to as 'simple equality', which calls for absolute economic parity where similar material quantity of goods and services are provided to each individual. This notion of equality has been considered untenable as it borders on absolute or complete notion of equality considered by many scholars as self-contradictory (Tugendhat and Wolf, 1983 ). The initial objective of this paper is to offer an easily comprehensible definition of equality amidst pervasive false impressions about its connotation as a political idea. This definition requires that it be differentiated from the term 'similarity' which means identical. For instance to state that human beings are equal does not mean they are identical. Equality to a certain extent entails similarity but not 'sameness'. This sameness exists between a cluster of dissimilar matter, people, processes or circumstances, which demonstrate identical qualities in at least one respect, but not in all aspects. This is a reference to similarities with regards one specific feature where distinctions exist in other features ((Dann 1975). Furthermore, development in the fields of biology and genetics only strengthened the view that no two persons are absolute equals. To provide a more concrete example, many governments and societies all over the world who adhere to the democratic system, strive to create laws and government structures for its citizens to achieve equality under the law. This idea of equality before the law has been affirmed over the centuries as a significant characteristic of a democratic government's justice system (Thomson 1949.) Stringent equality is required in the legal area of universal freedoms and there should be no moral justifications for any exceptions. All individuals in a society must have equal rights and duties. These rights and duties should be founded on a general law, which applies to everyone without exception - whether these individuals have diverse social status. This is called the 'postulate of legal equality'. Moreover, the theory of equal freedom is equally applicable: each individual ought to have the equivalent autonomy to manage his life, and this he should do in the broadest method probable in a peaceful and suitable social system. The same is true in the area of politics. The opportunities for political involvement should be equally distributed and all individuals should be given similar opportunity to participate in shaping public opinion so as in the allocation, management, and implementation of political control or influence. This is the assumption which requires equal opportunity or equal political power sharing. To guarantee equal prospects, social organizations have to be devised in such a way that people who are underprivileged - for instance the disabled and those from low income households, have an equal opportunity to make their observations and opinion be heard so as to involve themselves completely in the democratic process. In the area related to our social life such as social hierarchy, similarly skilled, talented and motivated citizens should be given roughly the same opportunities in companies and positions, free from the dictates of their economic or social rankings, ethnic background or gender. This is the assumption of reasonable impartiality of social opportunity. An unequal outcome has to result from equality of chances at a position because qualifications alone have been considered and applied, not social background of a person or his influences. This idea of legal equality or equality under the law is easily achieved as it has its foundation that respects individual liberty. We have seen that countries which prosper are those that give equal opportunity to its citizens before the law. A similar emphasis on gender equality has been included as a part of the legal systems of many democratic countries. Although improvements should be made in this respect, feminism and 'equalists' - those who call for equal treatment of diverse gender and sexual preferences - have made great strides in promoting gender equality and empowerment of women. Studies done by the United Nations support the fact that women, if given equal opportunities in any society, are able to extract themselves easily from poverty. Studies also show that women are the most marginalized in societies where poverty is rampant. This movement, which focuses on gender empowerment, has improved not only the lives of women but also the lives of their children. UNICEF has also made a stride in this area as their research shows that rights-based approach to education will narrow the inequalities in our societies which 1'are deep-rooted and often gender-based'.These inequalities, according to UNICEF bar millions of young people especially girls from school and limits their advancement in their societies. As we cannot utilize an absolute gender-blind approach in order to achieve equality between men and women, more effective approaches to bridge the gap of opportunities between men ad women all over the world must be devised. In a gendered perspective approach for example, the relationship between the two genders is closely studied as well as the way societies are structured based on gender lines and the results of these relations in the society as a whole. The circumstance in which gendered relationships materialize and the continuously changing economic, political and social environment should always be identified. The 'gendered perspective system' puts emphasis on making sure that gender is put into consideration before creating policies, programmes, planning stratagem and assessments. This approach does not dictate total similarity but equal chances on both genders. This is not of course the final aspect of inequality that subsists in our society as there are plenty. In many parts of the world, racial discrimination and racial inequality still persists up to this century. Furthermore, policies to eradicate racial discrimination did not come until the second half of the 20th century. Current policies to eliminate racial inequalities include the elimination of discrimination in order to promote equal opportunity to every race in a society. The idea behind this is not to treat all races as equal or similar but to treat this diversity in human nature with equal respect and be afforded equal protection under a society's justice system. With the use of the aforementioned definitions of equality, a society can be adjudged as a 'just' society. However, the term 'just' here is also dependent on the most accepted definition. Justice, according to one of the most prominent philosophical theorists in the modern times, John Rawls, is divided into two. The first one, distributive justice 2"concerns what is just or right with respect to the allocation of goods in a society." Thus, a society whose citizens are rightly bestowed what is due them is deemed as a society steered by the tenets of distributive justice. The other one is retributive justice which involves penalty and punishments for wrongful acts (Rawls, 1999). According to Rawls, distributive justice needs to answer three questions: What commodities need to be allocated Between what entities are they to be distributed What is the appropriate allotment Is it to be 3"equal, meritocratic, according to social status, according to need" Distributive justice therefore is an assertion that 4"everyone should get what he or she deserves." Although there are those who dispute Rawl's assertions, Rawl's theories strengthened the contention that a 'just' society must be an 'equal' one - equality which should be based on the definitions mentioned above. Using the aforementioned characterization of equality, we can conclude that this kind of society, equal and just, is attainable and a rational goal which governments all over the world should strive to achieve. We cannot also deny the fact that these contentions of equality and justice are imperfect, but our ideals change as our society change. With this change comes also novel idea that could dispute our common held beliefs and social structures. It is important to consider that these ideas with regards justice and equality had its precedents on the long history of philosophy, the study of morality and ethics and even the sciences and these notions have evolved and developed with our experiences. Our discoveries in the fields of social sciences, the humanities and natural sciences have further our understanding of the nature of men, the nature of other species and our relationship with them, our political and environmental structure and even our future as a species. These findings cement our belief that freedom, equality and justice are valuable for human beings and for society to survive. BIBLIOGRAPHY Dann, Otto, 1975, "Gleichheit", in: Geschichtliche Grundbegriffe, ed. by V. O. Brunner, W. Conze, R. Koselleck, Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta 1975, http://www.unicef.org. Retrieved December 1, 2006, from gender equality Web site: www.unicef.org/equality Thomson, David, 1949, Equality, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Tugendhat, Ernst & Ursula Wolf, 1983, Logisch-Semantische Propdeutik, Stuttgart: Reclam Rawls, John, A Theory of Justice, 1999 (revised edition, Oxford: OUP,). Read More