Is it possible for just societies to exist?

Throughout the entirety of human history, a multitude of societies have come and gone. Some recognized and upheld certain basic rights for their citizens, exhibiting elements of justice while some did not. Though not yet seen in our history, it is entirely possible for just societies to exist. A truly just society can exist so long as the institutions that govern said society are just, upholding the natural rights and freedoms of every citizen, and the citizenry that make up the society is engaged, informed, and enfranchised. When a society is lacking one or more of these elements, the society perpetuates injustice. This idea can be demonstrated upon close examination of John Locke’s Second Treatise on Civil Government, Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, Plato’s The Republic and the Crito.

In discussing whether or not it is possible for just societies to exist, it is of the utmost importance to first define justice in this context. Justice, in the societal sense, according to Plato, is a “social consciousness that makes a society internally harmonious and good” (Bhandari). Taken further, a society is deemed to be just when the citizens and their government exist in a symbiotic state, in which the citizens rely on the government to uphold their rights and the government relies on the citizens’ consent and faith to govern. This can only be achieved when governments uphold what is known as citizens’ “natural rights.”

In his 1689 masterwork The Second Treatise of Civil Government, political philosopher John Locke lays out his theory of natural rights.

“The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions (Locke, Macpherson 9).”

According to Locke, every human is born with inherent rights that cannot be taken away by any human or government. Natural rights are inherent. Ergo, upholding them is just. Therefore, when an individual or government violates the natural rights of another, they are perpetuating injustice. The idea that one’s life, one’s liberty, and one’s possessions are inherent rights influenced Thomas Jefferson as he penned the American Declaration of Independence.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness (US 1776).”

According to Jefferson, under the social contract between men [and women] and their government, the latter has only the power to act justly. Should a government act unjustly, the people reserve the right to “alter or abolish” the existing form of government. This idea is the precise reason the United States has the greatest potential to one day be the first truly just society in human history.

As a society cannot truly be just while lacking any of the previously identified elements, no society in human history has been truly just thus far. In the ancient empires, gladiator-style fights to the death, and economic and social injustice were ever present. Later on, the British Empire subjugated large swaths of the world to its will. The United States practiced slavery followed by a period of segregation up until about 53 years ago.

Despite the fact that the American Pledge of Allegiance advocates for “Liberty and Justice for all,” injustice is still rampant in 2017 America. Vast wealth and income inequality divides citizens between ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots.’ A criminal justice system plagued by mass incarceration rates and systemic racism results in millions of innocent people locked up every year. A political system dominated by those with the deepest pockets leaves millions of Americans without a true voice in their government. Despite all this, America has the best shot out of any nation in history to become a just society due to its dedication to its own founding principles of free speech, separation of powers, and the upholding of natural rights. Though often slow and imperfect, the American system of government has proven the most susceptible to societal progress whenever injustice has reared its ugly head. This is due to the existence of institutions that are limited in power, and representatives that are accountable to the citizenry come election time.

It all harkens back to that critical phrase from Jefferson: “…it is the right of the people to alter or abolish…” When women longed for enfranchisement, they reached for the vote in the Suffragette Movement. When blacks sought equal justice under law, millions marched, sat, and rode in the Civil Rights Movement. When LGBT citizens sought the right to marry those they love, they protested the injustice until marriage equality was the law of the land in all 50 states. Throughout the last 241 years, Americans have sought to alter their government resolving issues of injustice wherever they have been perceived.

Though most effective in upholding ideals of social justice, democracy is also the most volatile form of government. According to Socrates in the Republic, it is easiest for democracy to devolve into tyranny. This occurs easiest when the general citizenry becomes complacent with the rights of citizenship and chooses to forego the equally-important responsibilities.

“The excess of liberty, whether in States or individuals, seems only to pass into excess of slavery…And so tyranny naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme form of liberty (Plato, Somerville, Santoni 42).”

Democracy is a high risk-high reward game, and individualism is the enemy of justice. The benefits of a free society where every citizen can have a voice in civic affairs are vast. However, we must always factor in what an uneducated and inward-thinking body politic with the power of the vote can do. The writers of Spider-Man had something going for them when they wrote, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

A citizen must obey the laws of their society so long as those laws are themselves just. Should the laws prove unjust, it is the duty of the citizen to rectify the legislative injustice. This is precisely where the importance of being an informed, engaged, and enfranchised citizen comes into play. If a citizen is not informed and engaged, then it is easy for tyrants and demagogues to come into power and for justice to be lost.

In Plato’s Crito, Socrates discusses with his friend Crito the merits of disobeying the laws of civil society. The Laws of Athens are personified and speak to Socrates.

“Well then, since you were brought into the world and nurtured and educated by us, can you deny in the first place that you are our child and our slave, as your fathers were before you (Plato, Somerville, Santoni 54)?”

Put simply, if the “laws” (or the state) protected an individual from the time of birth, said individual is subservient to the whims of the state. This idea is negated by Jefferson’s writing in the Declaration where he writes “right to alter or abolish…” If the laws of a civil society are unjust toward any member of that society, all members of the society not only should, but have a moral obligation to rise up in protest of the injustice.

So, what can we do to make our society more just? Quite simply, the objective is to ensure our societies live up to the values of justice. The citizenry may be informed and engaged, but if it is not truly enfranchised, then the society perpetuates injustice. In a system where the mega-rich control our elections, campaign finance reform is needed in the United States to ensure even the little guy can have a large voice in our constitutional republic. In a criminal justice system that locks up millions of non-violent drug offenders per year for victimless crimes, we need to embrace comprehensive criminal justice reform. For the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States, we need comprehensive immigration reform that will not only deal with the problem of illegal immigration, but fix the kinks in the legal immigration system so immigrants are not forced to come illegally. Above all, the most important step we as a society can take to move toward true justice is to continue to speak out. From the Boston Tea Party to the Selma to Montgomery Marches, the frequent use of free speech has defined American political history.

Justice, though a metaphysical concept, is not impossible to define and is clearly possible to ascertain. Societies can be just so long as there are institutions that support the free exchange of ideas, and engaged, informed, and committed citizens willing to fight for it.

Sources Cited

Bhandari, D. R. “Plato’s Concept Of Justice: An Analysis.” 20th WCP: Plato’s Concept Of Justice: An Analysis, J.N.V. University, 0ADAD, www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Anci/AnciBhan.htm.

Locke, John. The Second Treatise Of Civil Government. Edited by C. B. Macpherson, Hackett Publishing Co., 1980.

Plato. Crito. Edited by John Somerville and Ronald E. Santoni. Translated by Benjamin Jowett, Bristol Classical, 1963.

Plato. The Republic. Edited by John Somerville and Ronald E. Santoni. Translated by Benjamin Jowett, Anchor Books, 1963.