Justice is a term used in many different contexts and has a range of
subtle meanings. A common definition of justice is "The quality of being
just; integrity, impartiality; rightness; the awarding of what is due: the
(Chamber's Dictionary). This shows that justice can be perceived in many
different ways; from the implementation of laws to moral and ethical and
I understand the term justice in its broadest sense. I tend to view
justice in a more Platonic way. Justice as a concept should not be
separated from other related concepts such as morality, ethics and
compassion. However, the idealistic view of justice must be married to the
practical, and there are legal aspects of justice that need to be spelled
out. These include aspects such as the protection of rights and property.
However, the legal practicalities of law should never be dissociated from
the wider moral context of humanity and understanding.
The following quotation expresses the concept of justice as I
understand it. "The concept of social justice is best understood as forming
one part of the broader concept of justice in general. To comprehend it
properly, we should begin by looking at justice as a whole, and then
attempt to mark off that division of justice which we call social justice.
It takes only a little reflection to realize that the terms 'just' and
'justice' have a broad use. (Miller, 1979, p. 17)
The Platonic sense of justice is also relevant to understanding
Justice in its "broadest context." Plato placed a high degree of emphasis
on justice in his philosophy and he believed that justice was a cure for
many of the social evils of his time. Justice, in his philosophy, is seen
to be an important part of human nature, a virtue, which is in fact a form
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