A Sense of Justice and Civil Society

Abstract

This hermeneutic examination is based on the thesis that civil society is essential for the development of a sense of justice. John Rawls and Amartya Sen both wanted to avoid the consequences of societally-influenced decisions in their theoretical concepts of justice. However, both the theories are concerned about the sense of justice (Rawls, 1999) or sense of injustice (Sen, 2009), needed for making just decisions. A sense of justice (or injustice) develops into the concept of justice through social imprinting. This occurs through learning and internalizing what constitutes fair rules in families, groups, and the society. This examination attempts to demonstrate the unique role of civil society in this context.