Meanings of Justice from the Perspective of Moral Philosophy

This chapter explores the various notions of justice from the perspective of moral philosophy, focusing on theories of Rawls and Sen as they apply to economics. Societies practiced love long before they developed laws. Filia was present at the dawn of civilisation, well before the notion of justice. It was an impediment to the emergence of justice. Aristotle taught that the value of justice requires building daily, and that the key is not to know what justice is, but to be just. While Pareto's optimality consists in being happy and better off, society's first virtue is justice, not happiness, and citizens do not wish to simply feel happy, but to be just and live in fair societies. Although an agreement or market transaction may be deemed voluntary, it is not to the mutual advantage of the parties when one of these is in a weaker starting position in the negotiation, and it is unfair unless it takes place on a level playing field and in the spirit of reciprocity.