Justice is an important medium by which society makes sense
of their world through understanding fundamental relationships among societal members. We have been exploring a hypothetical thought experiment where
bad actors known as The Clan were able to manipulate their environment through social and/other bullying. The behaviors some engaged in are immoral in all societies. Not only did they reward themselves through misuse of public resources they also threw a wet blanket on societal health and economic prosperity (Selfishness has few bounds, hate can be unchecked, but fundamental societal universal truths/beliefs can't be broken. i.e. perhaps hardwired into our species.)
In this philosophical learning example, the community stood up and mass
reported the poor actors after years of blind eye treatment and that led to eventual exposure of the group and documentation of misbehaviors. Years of economic decline and foot dragging on justice were
reversed when the will of the people and good officials stood hand-in-hand to
remove corruption and the poor actors who contributed to it. This is why as people we should always support good officials as judged by their commitment to the community and essential laws of society (Fulfilling oaths, pledges and having character/honor is as important today as it was in the past.)
The example is meant to help us learn about the deep roots
justice has on societal life and why as a foundational glue we must always
point true north toward shared values and social contracts. In our thoughtful example, the commitment of the people to something greater than themselves
created a "sense of community' and that improved economic health through collective goal directed behaviors. People circumvented justice with no checks and balances but were ultimately brought back into societal alignment. This occured because of micro exchanges and the implicit learning that makes upward moral adaptation possible through new knowledge and insight-Moral Conscious(<<<< That word again. 👆We can discuss the theoretical foundations of this at a later date. Some will understand the higher responsibility of their duties and some won't.)
What is Justice? You can read about one definition in Justice and Fairness. In our learning example there was foot dragging on protecting the public leading to new victims. Those who reported behaviors were retaliated against and once crimes were indeed discovered the victims had no recourse and stuck with the bill. Some of that based in social networks and some based in extreme bigotries mixed with false ideologies. What does justice and fairness look like where so many wrongs occured and the people had to correct because some officials either were confused about what values people thought were important and/or no longer believed in what they professed (oaths, values, beliefs, social contracts, etc.)?. (We will write in a positive outcome with greater commitment to our central values.)
Let us explore in our example some of the reasons why decades of decline
may have occurred where "Clan" members were given free hand to engage
in any poor behavior they want and what that says about bias, choice, and
outcomes of some decision makers. We can also explore how the root of democracy and shared values help
restore economic and social health through collective belief in something that benefits everyone. This study sort of touches on some of those
concepts and how the rule of law can impact economic growth through various facets. There is a little science behind our philosophical dribbles,
The Role of Justice in Development I: How Rule of Law Spurs Economic Growth
An interesting quote that supports the idea of philosophy of justice and the application of law as both being part of the same concept of fairness that society is built upon (We can also discuss that in conception more in the future.),
"
Without liberty, law loses its nature and its name, and becomes oppression. Without law, liberty also loses its nature and its name, and becomes licentiousness." James Wilson. Of the Study of the Law in the United States, 1790
Bill of Rights Institute*This is an economic philosophical theoretical discussion
for learning purposes so take with a grain of salt. It is ok to disagree and
discuss. We can write the ending in any way we want but learning is the goal in and of itself.
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