#randomthoughts_18 Ive been thinking: why should Justice and Peace be of concern to us? Frankly, I found this question far more challenging than it appears. For a start, it is common knowledge that the human race is locked in endless contestation of spaces where personal and group interests converge. That convergence creates tensions between the specific and the universal, as well as the Self and the Other. The result is usually conflict, which goes to the heart of conditions for constituting human societies and civilisations. This is, in turn, directed towards the search for order and security. (Ok, youd think at this point weve answered the question...Im afraid, not so.) You see, this is the point where the problem of determining who controls and decides how scarce resources are to be shared, the system of rewards and sanctions, as well as hierarchies of values, begs answers. But it still doesnt end there. For it is here, also, that we witness the rare intercourse of Ethics and Politics. Your guess is right; happenings around us show that both forces dont mix well! And the dissociation of politics from ethics (especially in relation to ends and means) is deeply problematic for justice and peace. This is the fundamental human dilemma - the unending quest for (social and/or inner) peace. 1. Is peace truly the by-product of justice? 2. Are nations and societies (as presently constituted) conducive to, or compatible with justice and peace? 3. Which of these will promote lasting peace: distributive/social justice (issues of human rights, equal representation, etc) or retributive justice (punishment)? I welcome your thoughts, as always.
Posted on: Fri, 30 May 2014 08:40:02 +0000
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