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In the 19th century, utilitarian philosophers such as John Stuart Mill said that justice is served by what creates the best outcomes for the greatest number of people. Modern frameworks include concepts such as distributive justice, egalitarianism, retributive justice, and restorative justice.
The earliest known use of the noun justice is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for justice is from before 1160, in Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
- Classical Justice
- Medieval Justice
- Modern Justice
In Ancient Greece justice was viewed rather differently than it is today. As explained in Plato’s Republic, viewing justice as harmony can lead to some very interesting ideas not only for how the individual should behave but also for how the state should be organized. Well, at least when Plato is doing the organizing. For the individual, this means...
The leading European mind of the Middle Ages was St. Thomas Aquinas. The patron saint of teachers, his thought covered nearly all areas of philosophic endeavor. His ideas of justice remain influential in the Catholic Church, and a more modern school of ethical and political theory based on his ideas, known as Thomism, continues to attract interest....
Perhaps the most striking difference between modern justice and that of previous eras is our conception of egalitarianism. Nearly all societies today at least give lip service to the idea that all people are considered equal before the law. This egalitarianism has its roots in the enlightenment thought of many philosophers, not the least of whom wa...
Oct 1, 2021 · The concept of justice, in fact, has evolved from very early written history, showing some similarities early on with modern ideas of law and justice for individuals. Laws and a formal judicial system developed over time in an attempt to punish crimes and regulate commerce.
Jul 3, 2018 · In ancient history, the concept of “justice” was examined and debated by numerous thinkers, including Plato, Homer, Hesiod, Solon, Heraclitus, Protagoras, and Socrates. These intellectuals attempted to contemplate the true meaning of justice in regard to both society and individuals.
Justice is one of the most important moral and political concepts. The word comes from the Latin jus, meaning right or law. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the “just” person as one who typically “does what is morally right” and is disposed to “giving everyone his or her due,” offering the word “fair” as a synonym.
Jun 26, 2017 · Classically, justice was counted as one of the four cardinal virtues (and sometimes as the most important of the four); in modern times John Rawls famously described it as ‘the first virtue of social institutions’ (Rawls 1971, p.3; Rawls, 1999, p.3).
