Ethics Module 13 – Justice and Fairness

25 vocabulary flashcards summarizing key terms and theories from Ethics Module 13 on Justice and Fairness.

Justice

Giving each person what they truly deserve—their fair share or due—based on moral rules or standards.

Fairness

Making decisions without bias and with attention to each unique case, treating people according to what they deserve.

Aristotle’s Principle of Equality

“Equals should be treated equally, and unequals unequally”; treat people the same unless relevant differences justify otherwise.

Relevant Difference

A morally significant factor (e.g., need, effort) that justifies treating individuals differently without being biased.

Discrimination

Unequal treatment based on irrelevant traits such as age, gender, race, or religion, considered unjust.

Desert

The idea that rewards or punishments should correspond to a person’s actions, effort, or character.

Distributive Justice

The branch of justice concerned with how benefits and burdens are fairly shared within society.

Egalitarianism

A theory of distributive justice holding that all people are fundamentally equal and should share benefits and burdens equally.

Political Equality

Equal right to participate in and be treated fairly by the political system.

Economic Equality

Equality in income, wealth, and opportunity; often expressed as ensuring everyone a minimum standard of living.

Capitalist Justice

A theory stating that people should receive benefits proportional to their contribution to society or work.

Effort (as a Measure of Contribution)

The view that greater work or exertion merits greater rewards, rooted in the Puritan work ethic.

Productivity

Rewarding individuals based on the amount they produce; criticized for ignoring need and valuing only output.

Market Value

Assessing a person’s contribution according to supply and demand rather than intrinsic worth or need.

Socialism (Needs and Abilities Principle)

“From each according to ability, to each according to need”; work is assigned by ability and benefits distributed by need.

Critique of Socialism

Argues that disconnecting effort from reward reduces motivation and overlooks natural human competitiveness.

Libertarianism

A justice view emphasizing freedom from coercion and minimal state interference, prioritizing property and voluntary exchange.

Critique of Libertarianism

Claims it ignores freedoms from hunger or ignorance and can leave the disadvantaged unfairly dependent on luck.

Justice as Fairness (John Rawls)

A theory proposing equal basic rights and allowing inequalities only if they benefit the least advantaged members of society.

Veil of Ignorance

Rawls’s decision-making device where individuals design social rules without knowing their own social position, ensuring impartiality.

Difference Principle

Rawls’s rule that social and economic inequalities are acceptable only when they improve the situation of the least advantaged.

Principles of Justice

Agreed-upon guidelines used to resolve conflicts over limited resources in a way acceptable to all parties.

Bias

An unfair preference or prejudice that distorts judgment and violates principles of justice and fairness.

Punishment (Retributive Justice)

Imposing penalties on wrongdoers while sparing the innocent, viewed as a fair application of justice.

Minimum Standard of Living

The egalitarian idea that everyone deserves a basic level of material well-being appropriate to their society.