Comments on: So this justice... it distributes?

So this justice... it distributes?

The Michael The — Tue, 19 Aug 2003 19:43:54 -0800

Distributive Justice - It's an art project with both an interactive web exhibit and an installation at the American Effects exhibit currently showing at The Whitney Museum in NYC. In the words of the artists: "Distributive justice is not only a central issue of moral and political philosophy, but also an object of common-sense moral reasoning. Everyone is sensitive to the question of his/her share of the common good. Even those who get the best peace of the social pie are in need to justify the actual model of distribution. It has become a truism that most people (especially in the transition countries) experience their own social position as "unjust", relying on certain intuitive principles of distributive justice... All the parts of the project would later on be integrated on a web-portal. The actual or potential participants would thus gane a virtual space of their own designed for exchange of information and opinions (mailing list, forum, chat), creating archives etc. In this manner the project would eventually develop into a permanently open forum."

By: The Michael The

The Michael The — Tue, 19 Aug 2003 19:46:46 -0800

Pardon the long post... I didn't think a "(more inside)" would have done it justice (and please pardon that unintended pun as well).

By: crazy finger

crazy finger — Tue, 19 Aug 2003 20:59:26 -0800

There are a few pretty cool things on the site. Fun toys at the least.

By: lerrup

lerrup — Tue, 19 Aug 2003 22:42:22 -0800

"It has become a truism that most people (especially in the transition countries) experience their own social position as "unjust"" That's because it is unjust eg EU v Sierra Leone, US v Venezuela, etc. /hopes no one just sees this as US bashing instead of the anti-capitalist point that it is/

By: The Michael The

The Michael The — Wed, 20 Aug 2003 05:56:46 -0800

lerrup: unjust or simply unequal? Why do Venezuela and Sierra Leone deserve a better social position? Does anyone "deserve" a certain social position, or do social positions exist only as linguistic descriptors?

By: lerrup

lerrup — Wed, 20 Aug 2003 09:55:00 -0800

Because all men are created equal I guess. As humans are the only ones able to impose morality on the seething abyss that is the universe, I think we should have a morality that is, if you like, moral. Basically, no one was born in Sierra Leone because of anything they did in a past life so why should they be persecuated by an arbitary social and economic system that conflates greed with morality? Why do I deserve running water because I was lucky enough to be born in Britain? The point is you either believe that those with money deserve it for some reason or you can think that everyone deserves to eat, drink clean water and live meaningful lives, hopefully without mortal fear. And yes, there are social positions, they aren't imposed a priori but are invented by humans. They are more than linguistic conventions however as they have real, physical effects - see apartheid, slavery, the British class system, the caste system in India, the Klu Klux Klan, the postion of women in (how many countries?), David Beckham, etc.