We explain what injustice is for philosophy and why it is different for each legal system. Also, the symbols that represent it.
What is injustice?
As its name indicates, injustice It is the lack of justice . It can refer to an act itself, a situation, or a system or social group, which is considered contrary to what is fair, that is, contrary to what is equitable, correct or reciprocal .
The notion of injustice is legally defined in different ways, according to each legal system. As with justice, There is no universal notion of what is unfair. .
For example, today we would consider it an injustice if someone had to pay money to be a free person, but that was the method by which freed slaves acquired citizenship in times past: by paying the equivalent of their value to their owner. This was considered a fair act, which compensated all parties involved.
However, since ancient times, human beings have wondered about the notions of justice and injustice. In Critoone of the dialogues of the Greek philosopher Plato (c.427-347 BC), one of his characters explained that it was impossible for him to define what justice was, but that on the other hand he had no problems identifying injustice.
Representations of justice and injustice
Injustice, as well as justice, is often represented through symbols or illustrations.
- Justice. It is traditionally depicted in the West as a blindfolded woman, holding a scale and a sword.
- The injustice. In contrast, it is represented in the same way but with one of its eyes open or peeking out from under the blindfold.
References
- “Injustice” on Wikipedia.
- “Injustice” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Justice and injustice” in Filosofía.org.
- “What is injustice?” (video) at The Audiopedia.
