Week 11 Lecture: How Do We Create A Just Society?

What is a Just Society?

• Difficulty of defining ‘justice’

• Related terms: morality, ethics, righteousness, human rights, natural law

• Exploration through many lenses: religion, political economy, social justice, philosophy, public administration, and public policy, sociology, economics, etc..

• Classical view of ‘justice’ = justice is the virtue that renders to each their own.

• Philosophical view of ‘justice’ (aristotle)

• If we deny persons justice, we have declared them worthless

• Justice is not the best we can do, re: value of person; friendship is

• Political and legal views of ‘justice’

• Only justice stands between us and barbarity

• When justice fails, persons perish

• Meeting essential needs in society is not a work of optional charity… it merely establishes one’s credentials as a human

What is a ‘Just Society”-- Types of Justice: **memory recall and application style question for final exam— think of a scenario —example)

Distributive Justice-distributing resources (income wealth and power) so all basic needs are met —material needs are met; once these needs are met, it can impact mental health positively–access to clothing, food security

• Requires the allocation of income, wealth, and power in society be evaluated in light of its effects on persons whose basic material needs are unmet.

Social Justice– connected to social contract. We as persons have an obligation to actively participate in the life of society and society has an obligation to enable us to participate. —-volunteering for food bank, voting (set up voting stations at schools or in the heart of the community), voting registration in the mail, free parking, early vote, voting in different languages, visual impairment

• Implies persons have an obligation to be active and productive participants in the life of society, and that society has a duty to enable persons to participate in this way.

Commutative Justice– example; lack of fairness to indigenous communities

• Calls for fundamental fairness in all agreements and exchanges between individuals or private social groups.

Just Society and Hinduism:

• Expressed in Hindu concepts of dharma, karma, caste system (varna)

• Hindu god Varuna–god of sky, rain, and law; guardian of morality; determines the truth and righteousness/unrighteousness of humans

• Upanishads- karma; moral consequence of our actions

• Dharma and the caste system- fulfilling your obligations to social class

• Ahimsa- non violence

• Expressed in the Buddhist concepts of the Three Marks of Reality, Four Noble Truths, Noble Eightfold Path

• Ahimsa

• Theravada Buddhism– role of bhishu (monks)--how one lives their life

• Mahayana Buddhism– role of bodhisattva (person of compassion)--one who helps people on their path of enlightenment

Just Society and Islam:

• Adl– justice; qiist = fairness

• Rooted in God’s divine nature

• “Verily, God does not even do an atom’s weight of injustice” (Qur’an 4:40)

• Person of good morals, emulating the attributes of God

• “The perfection and salvation of the worshiper is in emulating the Divine qualities of God, and embodying their meaning to the extent that is humanly conceivable.” (Islamic theologian Abu Hamid al-Ghazali)

• Faithfulness, character, sincerity

• Expressed in many ways, including solidarity with persons who are marginalized, fair allocation of wealth and resources (distributive justice), racial equality, kindness, and compassion to all peoples

Just Society and Judaism:

• Justice as primary attribute of God–mercy, grace, charity, integrity

• Social usage: righteousness= right conduct

• “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God?” (Micah, 6:8)

• “His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

• The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11: 3ff)

Just Society and Christianity:

• God as absolute moral perfection; conforming to divine standard

• Bringing about the Kingdom of God

• Living in right relationship with God, ourselves, each other, and creation

• Judged by how we treat the most vulnerable in society (traditionally widows, orphans, foreigners) – Who are most vulnerable in today’s society?

• Gives birth to peace, ‘salaam’, ‘shalom’

• Rise in Eco Spirituality– climate change, green movement (need to care for creation)

• Stewardship– care for resources

• We are judged by how we treat the most vulnerable or marginalized in our community

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up to the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

• Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

• Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

• Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

• Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

• Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

• Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

• Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

• Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

• Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:1 ff) —beatitudes, sermon on the mount

Natural Law:

• Lex naturalis = natural law, the law of nature

• Set of timeless principles given by nature itself that govern all of humanity regardless of time, geography, race language, culture, creed, economics, society, education, etc; since given by nature itself, these laws are binding upon all human beings– guiding principles

• e.g) human rights

• Conventional law-laws that are created by humans– what governs us asa society

• e.g) law that says you cannot park on the street overnight

• Sometimes there is an overlap–e.g) natural law of life (right to life) may be codified as a conventional law prohibiting murder

• UN Declaration of Human Rights–natural law that has been declared as a statement and then, since the Declaration was codified and ratified, it has the weight of international law

Gregory Baum and Social Sin:**know Baum for application and memory** know difference between 4 levels of social sin and pastoral circle**

• We can use Baum’s concept of social sin and the four levels of social sin to analyze systemic injustices. This model can also be used to consider opportunities to harness the potential of our social systems (including religious systems) to address injustices and promote justice. In this way, our efforts to address injustice become more nuanced, we can more effectively identify and dismantle the embedded elements that support/justify/propagate systemic injustice. In so doing, our systems can become a means to offer healing, peace, and build a more just society.

• Recall: Social sin resides in a group or a community of people. It exists within any structure in society that oppresses human beings, violates human dignity, stifles freedom and/or imposes great inequity. ... Social sin results in structures, laws, and policies that perpetuate widespread poverty, inequality, discrimination, violence, and other injustices. ... The only way we can recognize these sinful structures is if we step outside our own world and consider the world from another person’s perspective. ... Once we have recognized these patterns and structures that are sinful, we need to move toward action on behalf of justice and the common good.(From wearesaltandlight.org)

Pastoral Circle Process: A Model for Identifying and Addressing Injustice– what will you do; what do you carry with you ***EXAM

***Pastoral circle mode is NOT the same as Baum’s model of the Four Levels of Social Sin

• A framework for exploring, analyzing, and addressing injustices

• 4 steps: Involvement—- Exploration—-Reflection—-Action

• Not a ‘closed cirice’ —action leads to a new reality or experience that can be examined so as to further address injustices, go deeper into the issues, etc.

• Dynamic, ongoing exploration of systemic issues

Step 1: Involvement (experience)

• Asks the question: How am I connected to this injustice? What is the lived experience? What is happening?

• Describe the problem

• Makes connections between an injustice and our own experience/life; helps us connect an issue with our personal experiences and to reflect on the experiences of the wider community, especially those most affected by the injustice.

• Serves as a catalyst/motivator for change

• Seeing our own connections to the problem-personal experience, deeply impacted by for example a video, tik tok, article

• e.g) gender based violence—an injustice issue- involvement; knowing people who have been in abusive partner relationships

Step 2: Exploration (social analysis)

• Asks the questions: what can we learn about this injustice? Why is this happening?

• Analyze the problem; wider reflection to explore the underlying elements that give rise to an injustice and help to sustain it

• Begin to explore relationships between values, events, structures, systems, ideologies, etc. that help sustain injustices

• Examine causes and consequences of injustices – linkages, structural realities, historical, political, economic, social and/or cultural causes

• Analyze role of key actors – e.g., persons experiencing injustice, persons perpetuating injustice both directly and indirectly, influencers, decision- makers, ‘bystanders’, the vocal, the silent,

• Explore assumptions that allow for continued injustice and social structures that resist change

• Looking for all the information we can find, various linkages, a lot of analysis

Step 3: Reflection (theological reflection)

• Asks the questions: : What does our community (including faith communities say about this injustice? What do our society and societal values say about this injustice? What does it mean?

• Theological reflection in light of faith teachings as well as social/community values

• Explore the issue through multiple lenses; e.g.:

  • Philosophy – key thinkers who have shaped social thinking

  • Natural law and natural justice

  • Political science, government, law – e.g., Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international law, etc.

  • Societal values – the values upheld by our community; e.g., dignity of the person, freedom, community, protection of the vulnerable, etc.

  • Faith perspective – key teachings from religious traditions, including those expressed in sacred scriptures, faith-based teachings, religious traditions, experiences of the faith communities, etc.

• These elements offer an alternative vision of how life can and should be, helps to build to our vision of a more just society

• What could or should things be like?? —the vision for how things should change; what has the community said about this or faith communities said about this

• In general why an injustice should be addressed

Step 4: Action (movement)

• Asks the questions: What can I/we do about this injustice? How shall I/we respond?

• Movement to action, responding to injustice

• e.g) advocacy, partnership with community organizations, individual and shared action

• Identifying one’s role in eliminating injustice; acting logically, regionally, nationally, and globally to affect change

• How can I, in my circle of influence, help to create a more just society? How can I help to dismantle injustice and build a more just world?

• Identifying and actioning choices at the individual, community, societal, and systemic levels.

• What can I or we as a community do about this? –leads to movement, individual and systemic change can happen

The ‘Two Feet’ of Social Injustice: Another Lens to Look on Justice Issues:

We often speak of the ‘two feet’ of social justice– two distinct, but complimentary, ways of responding to injustice through:

• Direct service

  • Charitable works that help people survive a current crisis

  • E. g. , organizing food drives, shoveling snow for persons who are house- bound, serving at a soup kitchen, canvassing on behalf of a cause

• Social action

  • ‘Upstream’ thinking that addresses the systemic, root causes of injustices and
    working to remove the causes of crisis

  • E. g. , advocacy, empowerment, consciousness-raising, accompaniment,
    preferential option for the poor or other persons who are being marginalized, dismantling systemic oppression, etc.

Example: Catholic Social Teaching

• Refers to the Catholic Church’s teachings on social, economic, political, and cultural matters

• A body of doctrine developed by the Catholic Church based on its understanding of the teachings of the prophets, life and words of Jesus, and revelation from God

Seven principles:

• Dignity of the human person

• Dignity of work

• The person in community

• Rights and responsibilities

• Option for the poor

• Global solidarity

• Care for creation

Principles of Catholic Social Teaching:

Dignity of the human person- humans have an inherent dignity

• All human life is sacred

  • Humans are created in the image and likeness of God

  • Euthanasia– catholics do not justify this

Dignity of work

• The economy serves the people, not people serving the economy; the priority of labour over capital and importance of the person

  • All persons have the right to work, to earn decent wages, to safe working conditions (also named in the UN Declaration of Human Rights)

  • People are more important than profits

The person in community: the common good

• Humans are sacred and social

  • Individual rights within the context of the common good

  • We realize our dignity and rights in relationship with others in the community; work together to improve the wellbeing of all persons

  • We live most fully when we are in relationships with others – the community – and work toward the common good for all

Rights and responsibilities: subsidiarity and participation

• Human rights as a minimum standard for society – civil, social, political, and economic rights, etc.

  • Responsibility of all human beings to work toward human rights for all; “I am my sister/brother’s keeper” – the nature of community and social responsibility

  • All have the right to participate in decisions that affect their lives

  • Subsidiarity – decisions are made by the people closest and most affected by the issues and concerns

  • Role of persons in power/influence to use their role to work toward the common good, especially those who experience marginalization, oppression, systemic injustice, etc.

  • Decisions are made by those who are most deeply affected

Option for the poor

• View the world from the perspective of those with least/the poor; preferential care shown to the poor and vulnerable persons

• Moral test of society: How do we treat our most vulnerable members?

• Show preferential options to the most vulnerable

Global solidarity

• One human family – called to work for global solidarity, peace, and justice; obligation to promote the rights of all people

  • Standing side by side with those who are most vulnerable, oppressed, experiencing systemic injustice; allyship

  • Peace as more than the absence of war; connected to justice; without peace, human dignity and the earth are not respected

  • Not power over, but power with– standing with

Care for creation

• Stewardship – we are managers of the earth and its resources, not its owners

  • Responsibility to protect all creation so all can share in its resources

  • Includes responsible planning and management of resources, sustainability

Some Ideas for Building a (more) Just Society?

-expanding awareness of injustices– e.g) peaceful demonstrations, rallies, marches, protests, campaigns to elected officials

-listen -educate yourself on justice issues

-analyze injustices– see Four Levels of Social Sin and Pastoral Circle models

-review and replaces/remove policies that marginalize others

-advocacy -direct service -social analysis and action

-prioritize community and context-based approaches rather than ‘top down’ approaches

-incorporate equity in programming, policies, etc.

-develop measurable goals to monitor progress and community change initiatives that seek to reduce inequality and systemic oppression

-lifestyle change -career direction or transition -create/join a justice group

-justice spirituality -justice mentoring -donate (time, treasure, or talent)Expanding awareness of injustices – e.g., peaceful demonstrations/rallies/marches/protests, campaigns to elected officials