Abstract
Social justice has always acted and will act as the most important indicator of the effectiveness of social development, being one of the fundamental bases of civilization and progress. Social justice is the foundation of any developed society, and it determines many aspects of the interaction between people within the state and society. Justice is category of a moral-legal and socio-political consciousness that is both an inalienable natural right of a person. Understanding social justice changes over time and depends on the specific social conditions in which people live. The content of this concept is in line between the social value of the individual layers of the population and their social status, the rights and duties between work and reward, the interests of their implementation. Historical experience has shown conclusively that justice finds the true meaning and value, if it is really embodied not only in economics and politics, but also in the social sphere – i.e. the sphere of work and leisure, meeting the basic needs of everyday human life. The problem of social justice was and is quite common. The origins of the formation of this trend can be found in the writings of ancient Greek philosophers, who argued that the principle of social justice was one of the key factors in the effective state. The study of social justice issues provides an opportunity for the discovery of new elements of governance and interaction of various social and interpersonal relationships. The problem of social justice today is one of the most acute in the world community. Economic theory, considering the role of the state in modern society, allocates a function of equity as one of the fundamental.
Key Words: social justice, the state, justice
Introduction
The problem of social justice is one of the most common and urgent problems of humanity. Social justice indicates the level of social, political, and economic development of any country. To see this, it is necessary to compare the level of development of the country with its level of social justice. For centuries, people have been concerned about the issue of justice at all levels of interaction; there are social movements that act in the protection and preservation of various rights. Everyone is able to participate in the stabilization and improvement of the level of social justice, thereby making the world around them better. In other words, the issue of social justice is both general and individual.
One of the major concepts that govern relations between people is the concept of justice. Justice, along with the good, is the oldest social ideal. People constantly base their ideas on the notions of good and evil, justice and injustice. The idea of justice is fundamental to the legislation of modern democratic society, in which the right is considered as a standard fixed justice. The concept of "Justitia" in Latin stands for justice (Boucher & Kelly, 2005, p. 1). Justice as an ethical category is the principle governing the behavior of the individual in relation both to other people and to himself or herself. "Whatever else social justice meant, [] it was normally taken to imply that there are certain things individuals have an entitlement to merely by virtue of their membership of society" (Boucher & Kelly, 2005, p. 1). In relation to other people, justice is opposed to human egoistic aspirations and keeps it from harming others. The main requirement of justice as an ethical category is respect for the rights and human virtues.
Thus, social justice appears as a category which is characterized by objectively determined level of material and spiritual maturity of a society of equality and a measure of inequality in the life situation of the various social communities and individuals. Justice, relating the people and their actions, determine what and how people must necessarily act as equal to each other, and what and how they can and should be different from each other. There are different concepts of social justice. Depending on the ratio of justice, freedom, equality, and inequality are several different concepts of justice. "But thinking big socially ought to be a part of the human condition. Certainly, it is a constituent of social justice" (Roth & Briar-Lawson, 2011, p. 29). The equalizing concept is based on the similarity or identity, concepts of justice and equality. The criterion of egalitarian justice is the arithmetic equality (Roth & Briar-Lawson, 2011, p. 77). This type of justice is applied in the field of civil-law transactions, damages, penalties, etc. More can be said about the distribution concept, which means the division of public goods appreciated, in proportion to the contribution and the contribution of a member of society: there may be equal or unequal empowerment with the relevant benefits. And finally, the liberal concept that comes from the ability to balance freedom and equality, to make them support each other in the framework of an integrated system of social justice (Roth & Briar-Lawson, 2011, p. 87). It acts as a measure of justice and equality measure of inequality between people. People should be equal in rights and this equality should be enshrined by law. They should be equal in the allocation of social values. However, the inequality in the distribution of social values is fair too when it is the unequal distribution, which gives advantages to everyone.
Initially, the problem of formation of the social state and justice attracted the attention of scholars of different sciences. However, the available approaches to addressing social justice issues are theoretical and apply them in the practice of state regulation of economic relations is very difficult, which makes the principle of equity very difficult to achieve. The actualization of this problem in the first place due to the fact that now not only violations of economic entities of legal rules and ethical rules of economic behavior are widespread, but also the growing problem of social inequality and a clearer separation of society, and as a result, and social justice demands. Therefore, "the way we understand ‘real-world’ issues of great significance such as international inequality, human rights, and environmental degradation depends in large part on how we set up these problems, which approach to international social justice we adopt" (Boucher & Kelly, 2005, 106). In these circumstances, the state regulation system needs a strong institutional support, focused on raising the level of social justice in economic relations. Social justice cannot appear by itself or spontaneously arise in the course of the game of natural social forces, so it is necessary to ensure the formation and use ideological, legal, political, economic, psychological, moral and spiritual factors. Social justice is not a dream and wishes, but a provision of the social status of the rights and responsibilities of all social strata. Therefore, is a clear and concise social policy aimed at "creating optimal conditions for the realization of the different needs within the community and the interests of each individual" is a prerequisite for the realization of this category (Ratts, 2011, p. 26).
One of the most difficult tasks is to determine the specific causes that contribute to the revitalization of researchers around the issue. After all, historical experience shows that justice as such has never existed. Always there were contradictions in society, regardless of political parties and public sentiment – there were relationships that had been violating the principle of social justice. For instance, the researcher such as Opotow (2015) "examines how the scope of justice contracted and expanded over time, implicating historical events as a critical factor leading to these changes in scope of justice" (Perlman, Hunter & Stewart, 2015, p. 405). In fact, the problem features a large scale in the 21st century, because the violations are too visible. For example, one of the most common problems – i.e. wages – suggests the number of reflections. And this is just one of hundreds, and perhaps thousands problems that do not meet the modern realities, as people live in a democratic society in which every individual has access to everything. "Ratts, D'Andrea, and Arredondo (2004) identified the social justice counseling perspective as a "fifth force" in the field". (Ratts, 2011, p. 26). Hence, ensuring social justice is one of the most important tasks of the modern state; therefore, strict implementation of the principle of social justice becomes an essential condition of unity of the people, the political stability of the society, and the dynamism of development.
In addition, a social-political management, consisting in the management of people in all spheres of social activity, and directed to increase their activity and commitment to meet the interests and needs that encompasses all levels and sectors of the population plays the leading role in ensuring social justice. The leading role in the socio-political management belongs to the state, but experience shows that a strong social policy is impossible without rational public scrutiny. For example, "legacies of injustice — histories of exclusion, marginalization, and oppression — are central to the formation of social identities, as is illustrated in this issue through the prism of war and intergroup relations" (Perlman, Hunter & Stewart, 2015, p. 406). The concept of fairness applies not only to the assessment of human behavior, but also contains the requirements of society, the character of social relations, and the assessment of the status and social phenomena from a certain angle. Its objective value should be disclosed by analyzing the direct connection with the economic understanding of justice, the legal status of the individual in society. So, a just social policy is the foundation of social cohesion and solidarity of society, a kind of basis. As a result, social justice is an equal chance of starting life in access to education, work, culture, health care, and housing. It is an equal right to social security in old age and guarantee of the economic support for those who are not of their own is not able to work. It is equally respectful attitude to all people, regardless of their social origin, wealth, ethnicity, religion, and beliefs.
In the United States the system of the protection and upholding of social justice is fairly well developed. There are many different problems that affect the certain social groups. In the case of social injustice, the people are united in various movements or simply organize their activities and areas to uphold justice in certain matters. There are several major problems of different nature, which caused the reaction of society and forced people to organize certain actions, protests and petitions. Therefore, "the rise in the multicultural and social justice movements led to the development of multicultural and advocacy competencies" (Ratts, 2011, p. 25).
The issue of equality is one of the most pressing problems in the United States today, which also has to do with the racial discrimination. In some cases, the rights of Afro-Americans are violated by the public authorities and other social institutions (Perlman, Hunter & Stewart, 2015, p. 407). In this regard, there has arisen a social movement that is called Black Lives Matter (BLM). The activists of the movement oppose to the illegal violence against blacks, as well as in protection of the rights that are violated by the police and the state as a whole. It was founded in 2013 and has caused a huge amount of resentment on the part of the government, as in a moment, this social movement has been accused of extremist activity and too aggressive activity. Either way, this movement is based on Martin Luther King's ideas and set the task to end racial discrimination by means of direct appeals to the US government. The structure of this movement includes many Native Americans and many national minorities. The next social movement is the movement of Free love, which defends the rights of people at an open relationship in which there is no room to state intervention and other stereotypical things (Song, 2007, p. 149). This movement originated in the time of the birth of Christianity, and today it affects a number of different issues related to the problems of sex and marriage.
Another movement that plays a fairly important role in the formation and maintenance of social justice is a movement that can be described as Ecofeminism (Boucher & Kelly, 2005, p. 208). This movement arose as early as the 1970s with the aim to fight for the preservation of the environment and women's rights (Boucher & Kelly, 2005, p. 208). Initially, Ecofeminism originated as a term, but later it became the basis for a social movement. In addition to issues relating to women's rights and the environment, this is also a social movement in favor of the protection of national minorities. Ecofeminism spectrum of activity is very wide, so this movement is of particular importance for social justice. It also should be said about the association, or the free group of people who describe themselves as "Food Not Bombs" (Boucher & Kelly, 2005,p. 162). The members of this social group are in favor of the idea of access to look for each person. Their occurrence is related to the problem of hunger, which has preserved over the centuries and still cannot be solved. Nevertheless, these people believe that people can fight hunger, as food is sufficient. They take the products from shops, groceries, restaurants, which are likely to have been thrown out, and feed the poor, arranging a variety of activities, which allows anyone to come to eat. This type of activity also plays a crucial role in the observance of social justice, since each person has the right to food, which helps him to live fully. In addition, it should be said about one of the most effective and reputable organizations that have created a certain revolution in labor, sexual and corporate relations. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is one of the most serious public organizations that advocates for workers' rights and human rights in general. Members of this organization deal with the problems of sexual violence in the workplace (Roth & Briar-Lawson, 2011, p. 101). In addition, the CIW is relevant to many different programs that help the poor or victims of violence. This organization has arrived at a whole new level of social influence, reinforcing the efficiency and scale of its activities.
Most likely, I was affected by the social movement at a very early age activities. As far as I remember, this movement was organized by young people aged 12 to 16 years. They collected unnecessary things, food, entering into every house, and then gave it to poor families or in orphanages. I was influenced by what I saw on the street, where I met people of different ages, who have nowhere to live and they had to beg. I realized that not all of them truly deserve sympathy, but mostly, the situation of these people suggests injustice. While some people buy real estate and decoration for millions of dollars, others have nothing to eat. This causes a certain mismatch and even annoys. I have personally seen the representatives from the organization "Food Not Bombs". They feed the homeless and all those who simply wish to eat. Observation of this activity inspires and gives hope. When you become part of the apparatus which adjusts a little social justice, you feel like getting better. In my view, one can know about what social justice just going outside. Each learns about it in early childhood. It is everywhere. Its respect and its violation. These two things follow each other every second. However, if I choose a profession with which I would be able to exercise influence on social justice, then I would choose the profession of a teacher. In my opinion, a teacher has a lot of opportunities to fix the world for the better. Each of these possibilities is presented in an individual student. For instance, "if your school has obvious differences in family incomes, perhaps it would be helpful to have a classroom discussion on wealth" (Dorn, 2016, p. 44). The process of changing human brings changes at the level of social justice. Moreover, "the more open-minded everyone is, the less likely they are to be judgmental or racist" (Dorn, 2016, p. 43). In many ways, the role of a teacher is to guide the younger generation. In addition, studying the question of social justice makes evident the fact that this aspect of human life is able to determine the level of development of any society. If one looks at the world as a whole, it becomes clear that there are still countries where the level of social justice is so low that it is hard to say anything about it. The level of social justice in the developing countries is also underdeveloped. It is necessary and possible to fight with this. One of the best ways to fight for social justice is a worldwide demonstration example. More developed countries should show the rest the way the social justice works and what they can achieve by keeping it in harmony.
References
Boucher, D., & Kelly, P. (Eds.). (2005). Perspectives on Social Justice: From Hume to Walzer. Florence, US: Routledge. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com
Dorn, J. (2016). The Power of Influence!. Education Digest, 81(6), 43-47.
Perlman, D., Hunter, A. G., & Stewart, A. J. (2015). Psychology, History, and Social Justice: Concluding Reflections. Journal Of Social Issues, 71(2), 402-413. doi:10.1111/josi.12118
Ratts, M. J. (2011). Multiculturalism and Social Justice: Two Sides of the Same Coin. Journal Of Multicultural Counseling & Development, 39(1), 24-37.
Roth, W., & Briar-Lawson, K. (2011). Globalization, Social Justice, and the Helping Professions. Albany, US: SUNY Press. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com
Song, S. (2007). Contemporary Political Theory: Justice, Gender, and the Politics of Multiculturalism. Cambridge, GB: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com
