Viewing any concept or situation through different lenses allows one to look at them from a new perspective. These lenses include history, social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. These aspects must be considered to understand the concept of justice better. In this case, the assessment of the idea of justice will be as accurate and objective as possible. In addition, a comprehensive evaluation of the concept can help understand what improvements or changes need to be made.
When considering justice through a historical lens, the question arises of how the justice system was shaped. It was not always the way we know it now. Moreover, different countries have different laws formed under the influence of external circumstances and historical events. The historical prism makes it possible to assess the existing facts and objectively analyze justice formation.
In addition, justice always implies a certain type of relationship between people. However, the question arises of how significant the social contribution to the development of justice is. For example, Celermajer et al. (2020) note that children do not make a definite contribution to the system yet demand just as much fair treatment as adults. Therefore, although the basis of justice is interpersonal relations, it was formed based on the individual rights and needs of each individual.
If the individual is at the center of justice, then, analyzing it through a humanities lens, one can ask whether justice is always good. What to do in cases where justice is contrary to personal morality? To maintain the political and social system, justice must be universal. However, people differ in culture, traditions, and ethical and moral standards (Celermajer et al., 2020). Therefore, at a minimum, social justice must consider these factors to guarantee equal and fair treatment for all members of society.
From the perspective of the natural sciences, it would be interesting to know more about the psychological aspect, particularly how much of an influence fear has on people’s compliance with the norms of justice. It primarily applies to criminal justice. Laws, regulations, and punishments are designed to prevent people from violating generally accepted social standards of behavior. Theoretically, the punishment system should influence the psychology and subconscious of a person, instilling fear. However, people continue to commit offenses, indicating that the system is not working as expected.
References
Celermajer, D., Chatterjee, S., Cochrane, A., Fishel, S., Neimanis, A., O’brien, A., Reid, S., Srinivasan, K., Schlosberg, D., & Waldow, A. (2020). Justice Through a Multispecies Lens. Contemporary Political Theory, 19, 475–512. Web.