Thursday, September 6, 2012

Inequalities of Justice

Aristotle talks about justice in rectification. In this case Aristotle states that an injustice can be rectified by taking something from the offender and giving it to the victim. But, can this be considered to be true? Can specific values always be determined for specific objects or injustices? Is it possible to fix any injustice and create a situation to where neither side is faced with a "loss?"

In cases where money is stolen it can always be paid back. $100 will always be the same as $100 no matter who has it. But, what if a family has a "treasure" and it means more to them than the monetary value. If a family has a sword and it's a family heirloom that has been passed down in the family for generations it will mean more to them than is actual worth. If the sword is worth $2000 and its stolen and sold on the black market the family has lost their heirloom. If the criminal is caught he can be made to repay the $2000 but the sword cannot be recovered. How can this be considered equal? the victims have lost a priceless item and they only received $2000. There is no conceivable way to say the family is just as well off without the sword even if they are paid the $2000 the sword is worth. How can justice be rectified when an item has sentimental value worth far more than the monetary value of the sword.

Also, if someone is murdered how can any one ever rectify the injustice that has been done. If a child is killed no amount of money can make the family feel better, they will never have their child back. That injustice can never be truly rectified, how can anyone place a value to the life of a human? How can anyone determine what an object means to a family? How can a value be placed on sentiment and intrinsic value? In many cases an injustice can be rectified through money and other various actions, but there are a lot of cases where justice cannot be truly rectified.

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