Class 11 Political Science: Social Justice — Chapter Question Set

(b) Providing all citizens with a basic minimum standard of living is one way of ensuring equality of opportunity. — This is the textbook-supported choice for the question.

d) Social Justice Overview Just — The textbook states: Chapter 4 Social Justice Overview Just as we intuitively understand what love means even if we cannot explain all its different shades of meaning, we also have an intuitive understanding of justice even though we may not be able to define it precisely.

c) esponses from their advocates — The textbook states: In addition, both love and justice evoke passionate r esponses from their advocates.

b) extent for others also — The textbook states: And as with love, no one hates justice, everyone wants justice for oneself and to some extent for others also.

a) an aspect of our relationships with a few peo — The textbook states: But unlike love, which is an aspect of our relationships with a few people whom we know well, justice concerns our life in society, the way in which public life is or dered and the principles accor ding to which social goods and social duties are distributed among dif ferent members of society.

d) of central importance for politics — The textbook states: As such, questions of justice are of central importance for politics.

c) different periods of time — The textbook states: After going through this chapter you should be able to: /box3Identify some of the principles of justice which have been put forward in different societies and at different periods of time.

b) John Rawls — The textbook states: /box3Discuss John Rawls’ argument that a fair and just society would be in the interest of all members and could be defended on rational grounds.

a) 4.1 — The textbook states: Justice Social Justice 54 Political Theory 4.1 WHAT IS JUSTICE?

d) concept in different ways — The textbook states: All cultures and traditions have grappled with questions of justice although they may have interpreted the concept in different ways.

c) Indian — The textbook states: For instance, in ancient Indian society, justice was associated with dharma and maintaining dharma or a just social or der, was considered to be a primary duty of kings.

b) Confucius — The textbook states: In China, Confucius, the famous philosopher argued that kings should maintain justice by punishing wrong doers and rewarding the virtuous.

a) Greece — The textbook states: Athens (Greece), Plato discussed issues of justice in his book The Republic.

d) Socrates — The textbook states: Through a long dialogue between Socrates and his young friends, Glaucon and Adeimantus, Plato examined why we should be concerned about justice.

c) Socrates — The textbook states: The young people ask Socrates why we should be just.

b) unjust seemed to be much better off than thos — The textbook states: They observe that people who were unjust seemed to be much better off than those who were just.

a) willing to lie and be deceitful — The textbook states: Those who twisted rules to serve their interests, avoided paying taxes and were willing to lie and be deceitful, were often more successful than those who were truthful and just.

d) smart enough to avoid being caught then it wo — The textbook states: If one were smart enough to avoid being caught then it would seem that being unjust is better than being just.

c) similar sentiments even today — The textbook states: Y ou may have hear d people expressing similar sentiments even today.

b) of benefiting from injustice — The textbook states: Socrates reminds these young people that if everyone wer e to be unjust, if everyone manipulated rules to suit their own interests, no one could be sure of benefiting from injustice.

a) likely to harm all of them — The textbook states: Nobody would be secure and this was likely to harm all of them.

d) in our own longterm inter est to obey the law — The textbook states: Hence, it is in our own longterm inter est to obey the laws and be just.

c) important to be just — The textbook states: Socrates clarified that we need to understand clearly what justice means in order to figur e out why it is important to be just.

b) pursuing our own interests — The textbook states: He explained that justice does not only mean doing good to our friends and har m to our enemies, or pursuing our own interests.

a) They — The textbook states: Just as a doctor is “They say that to do injustice is, by natur e, good; to suf fer injustice, evil; but that the evil is greater than the good.

d) well-being of the people — The textbook states: JusticeSocial Justice Political Theory 55 concerned with the well-being of his/her patients, similarly the just ruler or the just government must be concerned with the well-being of the people.

c) each person his due — The textbook states: Ensuring the well-being of the people includes giving each person his due.

b) day understanding of justice — The textbook states: The idea that justice involves giving each person his due continues to be an important part of our present day understanding of justice.

a) Plato — The textbook states: However, our understanding of what is due to a person has changed from the time of Plato.

d) just is closely linked to our understanding o — The textbook states: Today, our understanding of what is just is closely linked to our understanding of what is due to each person as a human being.

c) German — The textbook states: According to the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, human beings possess dignity.

b) granted dignity then what is due to each of t — The textbook states: If all persons are granted dignity then what is due to each of them is that they have the opportunity to develop their talents and pursue their chosen goals.

a) consideration to all individuals — The textbook states: Justice requires that we give due and equal consideration to all individuals.

d) Equals Although — The textbook states: Equal Treatment for Equals Although there might be broad agreement in modern society about the equal importance of all people, it is not a simple matter to decide how to give each person his/her due.

c) forward in this regard — The textbook states: A number of different principles have been put forward in this regard.

b) the principle of treating equals equally — The textbook states: One of the principles is the principle of treating equals equally.

a) considered that all individuals share certain — The textbook states: It is considered that all individuals share certain characteristics as human beings.

d) rights and equal treatment — The textbook states: Therefore they deserve equal rights and equal treatment.

c) caste, race or gender — The textbook states: Apart from equal rights, the principle of treating equals equally would require that people should not be discriminated against on grounds of class, caste, race or gender.

b) to which they belong — The textbook states: They should be judged on the basis of their work and actions and not on the basis of the group to which they belong.

a) Pizzas — The textbook states: Therefore, if two persons from different castes perform the same kind of work, whether it be breaking stones or delivering Pizzas, they should receive the same kind of reward.

d) Justice Social Justice — The textbook states: If a person gets one hundred rupees for some work and another receives only seventy five rupees for the same work because they belong to Justice Social Justice 56 Political Theory different castes, then it would be unfair or unjust.

c) be unjustifiable and wrong — The textbook states: Similarly, if a male teacher in a school gets a higher salary than a female teacher, then this difference would also be unjustifiable and wrong.

b) not the only principle of justice — The textbook states: Proportionate Justice However, equal treatment is not the only principle of justice.

a) equally would be unjust — The textbook states: There could be circumstances in which we might feel that tr eating everybody equally would be unjust.

d) decided in your school that all those who did — The textbook states: How, for instance, would you react if it was decided in your school that all those who did an exam should get equal marks because they are all students of the same school and did the same exam?

c) awarded marks according to the quality of the — The textbook states: Here you might think it would be more fair if students were awarded marks according to the quality of their answer papers and also, possibly, the degree of effort they had put in.

b) of their ef fort — The textbook states: In other words, provided everybody starts from the same base line of equal rights, justice in such cases would mean rewarding people in proportion to the scale and quality of their ef fort.

a) work, and so on — The textbook states: Most people would agree that although people should get the same reward for the same work, it would be fair and just to r eward different kinds of work differently if we take into account factors such as the effort required, the skills required, the possible dangers involved in that work, and so on.

d) not paid a wage which takes such factors suff — The textbook states: If we use these criteria we may find that certain kinds of workers in our society are not paid a wage which takes such factors sufficiently into account.

Ensuring the well-being of the people includes giving each person his due. The idea that justice involves giving each person his due continues to be an important part of our present day understanding of justice. Equal Treatment for Equals Although there might be broad agreement in modern society about the equal importance of all people, it is not a simple matter to decide how to give each person his/her due.

Chapter 4 Social Justice Overview Just as we intuitively understand what love means even if we cannot explain all its different shades of meaning, we also have an intuitive understanding of justice even though we may not be able to define it precisely. After going through this chapter you should be able to: /box3Identify some of the principles of justice which have been put forward in different societies and at different periods of time. In each case discuss the principle of justice that might be used in defence of your argument.

Equal Treatment for Equals Although there might be broad agreement in modern society about the equal importance of all people, it is not a simple matter to decide how to give each person his/her due. For justice in society, the principle of equal treatment needs to be balanced with the principle of proportionality. The principle of taking account of the special needs of people does not necessarily contradict the principle of equal treatment so much as extend it because the principle of treating equals equally could imply that people who are not equal in certain important respects could be treated differently.

/box3Discuss John Rawls’ argument that a fair and just society would be in the interest of all members and could be defended on rational grounds. 4.2 JUST DISTRIBUTION To achieve social justice in society, governments might have to do more than just ensure that laws and policies treat individuals in a fair manner. The merit of the ‘veil of ignorance’ position is that it expects people to just be their usual rational selves: they are expected to think for themselves and choose what they regard to be in their interest.

It is believed that if people who enjoy very different standard of living and opportunities are treated equally in all respects with those who have been deprived of even the basic minimum needs to live a healthy and productive life, the result is likely to be an unequal society, not an egalitarian and just one. However, providing such basic conditions of life to all citizens may pose a heavy burden on governments, particularly in countries like India which have a large number of poor people. Many would now be willing to accept certain restrictions, for instance, states could step in to ensure a basic minimum standard of living to all people so that they are able to compete on equal terms.

Chapter 4 Social Justice Overview Just as we intuitively understand what love means even if we cannot explain all its different shades of meaning, we also have an intuitive understanding of justice even though we may not be able to define it precisely.

In addition, both love and justice evoke passionate r esponses from their advocates.

And as with love, no one hates justice, everyone wants justice for oneself and to some extent for others also.

But unlike love, which is an aspect of our relationships with a few people whom we know well, justice concerns our life in society, the way in which public life is or dered and the principles accor ding to which social goods and social duties are distributed among dif ferent members of society.

As such, questions of justice are of central importance for politics.

After going through this chapter you should be able to: /box3Identify some of the principles of justice which have been put forward in different societies and at different periods of time.

/box3Explain what is meant by distributive justice.

/box3Discuss John Rawls’ argument that a fair and just society would be in the interest of all members and could be defended on rational grounds.

Justice Social Justice 54 Political Theory 4.1 WHAT IS JUSTICE?

All cultures and traditions have grappled with questions of justice although they may have interpreted the concept in different ways.

For instance, in ancient Indian society, justice was associated with dharma and maintaining dharma or a just social or der, was considered to be a primary duty of kings.

In China, Confucius, the famous philosopher argued that kings should maintain justice by punishing wrong doers and rewarding the virtuous.

Athens (Greece), Plato discussed issues of justice in his book The Republic.

Through a long dialogue between Socrates and his young friends, Glaucon and Adeimantus, Plato examined why we should be concerned about justice.

The young people ask Socrates why we should be just.

They observe that people who were unjust seemed to be much better off than those who were just.

Those who twisted rules to serve their interests, avoided paying taxes and were willing to lie and be deceitful, were often more successful than those who were truthful and just.

If one were smart enough to avoid being caught then it would seem that being unjust is better than being just.

Y ou may have hear d people expressing similar sentiments even today.

Socrates reminds these young people that if everyone wer e to be unjust, if everyone manipulated rules to suit their own interests, no one could be sure of benefiting from injustice.

Chapter 4 Social Justice Overview Just as we intuitively understand what love means even if we cannot explain all its different shades of meaning, we also have an intuitive understanding of justice even though we may not be able to define it precisely. Chapter 4 Social Justice Overview Just as we intuitively understand what love means even if we cannot explain all its different shades of meaning, we also have an intuitive understanding of justice even though we may not be able to define it precisely. In addition, both love and justice evoke passionate r esponses from their advocates. And as with love, no one hates justice, everyone wants justice for oneself and to some extent for others also.

In addition, both love and justice evoke passionate r esponses from their advocates. Chapter 4 Social Justice Overview Just as we intuitively understand what love means even if we cannot explain all its different shades of meaning, we also have an intuitive understanding of justice even though we may not be able to define it precisely. In addition, both love and justice evoke passionate r esponses from their advocates. And as with love, no one hates justice, everyone wants justice for oneself and to some extent for others also. But unlike love, which is an aspect of our relationships with a few people whom we know well, justice concerns our life in society, the way in which public life is or dered and the principles accor ding to which social goods and social duties are distributed among dif ferent members of society.

And as with love, no one hates justice, everyone wants justice for oneself and to some extent for others also. In addition, both love and justice evoke passionate r esponses from their advocates. And as with love, no one hates justice, everyone wants justice for oneself and to some extent for others also. But unlike love, which is an aspect of our relationships with a few people whom we know well, justice concerns our life in society, the way in which public life is or dered and the principles accor ding to which social goods and social duties are distributed among dif ferent members of society. As such, questions of justice are of central importance for politics.

But unlike love, which is an aspect of our relationships with a few people whom we know well, justice concerns our life in society, the way in which public life is or dered and the principles accor ding to which social goods and social duties are distributed among dif ferent members of society. And as with love, no one hates justice, everyone wants justice for oneself and to some extent for others also. But unlike love, which is an aspect of our relationships with a few people whom we know well, justice concerns our life in society, the way in which public life is or dered and the principles accor ding to which social goods and social duties are distributed among dif ferent members of society. As such, questions of justice are of central importance for politics. After going through this chapter you should be able to: /box3Identify some of the principles of justice which have been put forward in different societies and at different periods of time.

As such, questions of justice are of central importance for politics. But unlike love, which is an aspect of our relationships with a few people whom we know well, justice concerns our life in society, the way in which public life is or dered and the principles accor ding to which social goods and social duties are distributed among dif ferent members of society. As such, questions of justice are of central importance for politics. After going through this chapter you should be able to: /box3Identify some of the principles of justice which have been put forward in different societies and at different periods of time. /box3Explain what is meant by distributive justice.

After going through this chapter you should be able to: /box3Identify some of the principles of justice which have been put forward in different societies and at different periods of time. As such, questions of justice are of central importance for politics. After going through this chapter you should be able to: /box3Identify some of the principles of justice which have been put forward in different societies and at different periods of time. /box3Explain what is meant by distributive justice. /box3Discuss John Rawls’ argument that a fair and just society would be in the interest of all members and could be defended on rational grounds.

/box3Explain what is meant by distributive justice. After going through this chapter you should be able to: /box3Identify some of the principles of justice which have been put forward in different societies and at different periods of time. /box3Explain what is meant by distributive justice. /box3Discuss John Rawls’ argument that a fair and just society would be in the interest of all members and could be defended on rational grounds. Justice Social Justice 54 Political Theory 4.1 WHAT IS JUSTICE?