Title: Principles of Justice and Fairness | Beyond Intractability
Headings: Principles of Justice and Fairness
Principles of Justice and Fairness
Current Implications
Justice Versus Fairness
Deserts, Equity, Equality, and Need
Impartiality, Consistency, Standing, and Trust
What is So Important about the Principles of Justice
Current Implications
Additional Resources

Content: It is in those cases where an action seems to violate some universal rule of conduct that we are likely to call it "unjust." In its narrower sense, justice is fairness. It is action that pays due regard to the proper interests, property, and safety of one's fellows. [ 2] While justice in the broader sense is often thought of as transcendental, justice as fairness is more context-bound. Parties concerned with fairness typically strive to work out something comfortable and adopt procedures that resemble rules of a game. They work to ensure that people receive their "fair share" of benefits and burdens and adhere to a system of "fair play." The principles of justice and fairness can be thought of as rules of "fair play" for issues of social justice. Whether they turn out to be grounded in universal laws or ones that are more context-bound, these principles determine the way in which the various types of justice are carried out. For example, principles of distributive justice determine what counts as a "fair share" of particular good, while principles of retributive or restorative justice shape our response to activity that violates a society's rules of "fair play." Social justice requires both that the rules be fair, and also that people play by the rules.