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Political philosopher and social psychologist, John Locke,
was an outspoken supporter of equal rights within a governed society. He
espoused the natural rights of man, namely the right to life, liberty and property,
and he articulated that every government’s purpose is to secure these rights
for its nationals.
As it is, before there is a government and a nation, a man live
freely where his only guided by the laws of nature and man. In this scenario,
opportunities abound, regardless of your stature in life, your sex, or status
in life; you are free to compete with everyone.
Today, all opportunities are well within the reach of rich and
famous personalities, and of those who has a connection within the government, while
a majority of people who are living below the poverty line continues to suffer
because of the in-equality brought about by those who long to stay in power.
Then what is social justice?
Accordingly, a general definition of social justice is
hard to arrive at and even harder to implement. In essence, social justice is
concerned with equal justice, not just in the courts, but in all aspects of
society. This concept demands that people have equal rights and opportunities; everyone, from the poorest person on the margins of society to the
wealthiest deserves an even playing field.
From a political stance that is leftist, you must legislate to create a
just society, and various programs need to exist in order to collect moneys
needed to even the playing field between rich, middle class, poor and those
people who are routinely marginalized by society. Equal rights can be defined
as equal access to things that make it possible for people in any societal
sector to be successful. Therefore, leftist philosophy would support things
like anti-discrimination laws and equal opportunity programs, and would favor taxation,
especially of those who make a lot of money, to pay for programs that help
provide equality for all.
Although, the far left would argue that there are certain basic needs
that must be offered to all. These include things like truly equal education
and safety in all schools and programs that would help all children have the
financial opportunity to attend college. Far left groups, often termed
socialist even if they differ from true definitions of socialism, further argue
that a just society cannot be had unless everyone has access to food, safe
shelter and medical care. The way to achieve this is through taxation and
government implementation of programs that will guarantee these things for all
people.
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