Social justice principle

Author: [British] David Miller
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Social justice is an active ideal that runs through 20th-century democratic politics. Even those who oppose it are aware of its potential. However, the meaning of social justice remains obscure, and the existing theories proposed by political philosophers to explain it fail to capture the way ordinary people think about social justice issues. This book proposes a new theory. David Miller argues that the principles of justice must be understood in context, with each principle being identified in different forms of human association. Due to the complexity of modern society, political theory must also be complex. The justice theory presented in this book differs from most other recent theories developed in political philosophy, not only in its greater sensitivity to prevailing views but also in its closer attention to the social context in which justice principles are situated. This focus reduces the abstraction of the theory. I believe it also enhances the political relevance of the theory. I also keenly felt, while writing this book, the vast gap between the conception of social justice defended by political philosophers, especially those we call liberal egalitarians, and the types of policy reforms suitable for contemporary liberal societies. Of course, social justice is often, and must often be, a critical idea—a challenge to our institutions and practices in the name of greater fairness—but it should not be merely a simple utopia.