Justice

What does the word justice mean to you?
Justice occurs when something is fairly dealt with. Justice is when someone is treated fairly according to their actions. Justice can be administered through the law and in more personal cases of fairness.
Getting justice against someone is not always the way to deal with something. In my Humanities I in Action class during my freshman year in Hong Kong, we did a unit on justice. We learned about alternative forms of justice that are not simply through the law, such as the victim talking the situation through with the perpetrator.

Scenario 1 - Price Gouging
The government should intervene in emergency situations because they are essential items. The government is responsible for protecting the people, and price gouging clearly does not have the majority in mind. This is taking advantage of people in a desperate situation.

Scenario 2 - Bank Bailouts
The government should intervene, because these companies provide jobs and keep peoples' investments safe and so provide money to the people. You could argue that it's the companies' own fault for terrible investments, but try comparing the situation to someone living off food stamps. Some argue that it's a person's own fault for not having enough money or being employed, but the government still provides them with money for food, because government tries to prevent joblessness and homelessness. The government must uphold the nation's economy and, most importantly, protect their citizens.

Scenario 3 - Trolley Driver
Five peoples' lives is more important than one person's life. Think about the effect the death of five people will have on the people they know versus the effect of one person's death on the community or their loved ones. Additionally, you have the responsibility to save lives and prevent deaths as a citizen and a member of the community.

Scenario 4 - Trolley Observer
I feel very conflicted with this scenario. I don't think I would be able to actively push someone, but at the same time, five lives are still more important than one. It's true that you do not have the right to play God. I think the argument that you are not responsible for the situation is invalid, because as citizens we have all have the responsibility to act in these situations. I would like to stand by my belief in the earlier scenario that five lives are more important than one, but I do not feel as confident in that stance as I did in the previous scenario.

Scenario 5 - Afghan Goat Herders
I think the Special Forces Unit should kill the two men as it is for the good of the nation. It also provides justice against this bad man and likely stops further killings of the innocent on the bad guy's part (assuming that the bad guy was killing others).