Why All the Fuss?

The word “justice” conjures different things for different people. Very often discrepancies between definitions arise when we attempt to apply the word in relatively isolated situations.  Current events in Washington, DC involving a phone conversation, a whistle-blower and a flurry of allegations of wrongdoing represent a collection of those isolated situations.  They too frequently give rise to partisan interpretations (perhaps driven by ideological myopia or something far worse). As reflected in social media and most news reporting, assessments (which is to say “judgments”) of these events tend to cluster around political leanings rather than more philosophical principles reflecting profound ideals.  When we begin to depart from those more limited notions of “justice”, turning instead to consider a more general understanding of systemic societal wrongs—when we stop yapping about what we wish for and focus instead on considerations of who we are—we might find our definitions begin to coalesce. (more…)