Foundations of Moral Equality and Compensation

Justice means fairness because justice basically is a concern related to fair treatment of an individual or a group of people or look backward for the fair compensation of prior injuries (Shaw, 2017). Justice is one of the most important aspect of morality as justice involves fairness, equality, desert and rights. In another word, Justice is also an act or behavior or treatment which is done in a just way where “just way” refers to the fairness, equality, rights and desert. As fairness, equality, rights, desert etc. are the determining factor to have justice, the true meaning of justice can be understood only after determining these factors.

Fairness means the ability to make the decisions and judgments which are specific to a particular case (Rawls, 2001). Justice and fairness are interrelated with each other because justice is given with the reference to the standard of fairness and rightness. As for an example, if a country is suffering from natural calamities like flood, landslide or earthquake, then the fair compensation must be provided to the victims who have lost their homes, families, property etc. Every victims must be treated fairly and fair compensation must be given to each victims according to their losses.

Equality helps to ensure if the individual or group of individual are treated differently or if there was a biased decision. Equality and equity are different. While making decision and judgement equality is achieved by treating everyone the same regardless of their needs, but equity is achieved by treating people differently as per their need. If a culprit who is accused of killing someone is sentenced to life imprisonment, then according to the case, the murderers should treated with equality and the judgment should not vary.

In the same way, by providing people with judgment with their moral right is also justice. If one’s right is violated, then we can say that the victim is treated unjustly. According to

J. Stuart Mill, if violation of right is involved in the wrongful behavior, then it is injustice.

Similarly, treating people according to their deeds, potentiality, efforts, etc. is justice as per what people deserve. For the good deeds by the people, they should be rewarded accordingly and for their bad deeds, they should be punished respectively.

The distribution of social burdens and benefit is known as economic distribution. The concept of distribution was made in regards to an equal share, to each individual needs, personal effort, merit and social contribution. The rival principle of economic distribution justice states five different principles of justice (Shaw, 2017). The rival principles of distribution are as follows:

1. Each an equal share

2. Each according to individual need

3. Each according to social contribution

4. Each according to merit

Each an equal share suggests that every individual should be given equal share. Each according to individual need suggests that every individual should be given according to his/her need.

Each according to social contribution refers that the amount is divided according to the contribution of an individual in the society.

Each according to merit argues that the amount to be distributed should be decided as per the merit of people where people with higher merit are given higher share and people with lower merit are given smaller share (Cengage, 2010).

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