Justice (E4 DLR Fall 2012)

Course Notes

Day 1: What is Justice?

Clayton: Since I have never thought about justice before, I started with a search on dictionary.com and the definition states that it is the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness. Basically when I think about justice, I always seem to think about laws, courts, and government, because we continually debate whether our government is being fair and just with all citizens of the US. Justice, to me, is more of a principle that people base their behavior off of. When a judge decides on his/her ruling, they have to take into account the severity of the crime, and give out punishment that they believe will be sufficient. Justice goes hand in hand with fairness, as taken from the title of our class. Both of these words are a part of moral responsibilities, not just for people in a position of power, but for everybody. Fairness, a word more commonly used with justice, is a governing principle in our country, school, and home. Justice, I think, is the thinking and reasoning behind fairness, and therefore the two are commonly used together. Many parts of our life are not fair or just, but we should not just accept that, especially with our parents. I never just say okay when my mom says "because we said so." They may have authority over me, but I deserve a just answer behind their choices. In school, our honor code serves as the principle that holds our community together and makes it strong. Justice sits at the core of our honor code, whether in an honor trial with SAC members or everyday in class when teachers decide what is fair information to put on a test. Therefore, justice is a part of our daily lives, and more people should try to understand and define it rather than just use it.