Social Justice: Cultural Origins of a Perspective and a Theory

• Published in: The independent review (Oakland, Calif.) Vol. 15; no. 2; pp. 165 - 178
• Main Author: Bankston, Carl L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oakland The Independent Institute 01-10-2010; Independent Institute
• Subjects: 20th century; Analysis; Civil rights; Civil rights movements; Consumer economics; Consumer goods; Consumer spending; Consumption; Criticism and interpretation; Disposable income; Distributive justice; Economic growth; Economic hardship; Economic policy; Economic recessions; Economic recovery; Economists; Expenditures; Government spending; Institutionalization; Justice; Keynes, John Maynard; Keynesianism; New Deal; Per capita; Philosophers; Politics; Poverty; Presidents; Prosperity; Rawls, John; Social Justice; Society; Sociocultural Factors; Studies; United States; War; United States
• ISSN: 1086-1653; 2169-3420

Explores the historical context of the currently accepted concept of social justice & the origins of social justice advocates' assumptions & commitments to indicate how cultural influences inform policy making. It is contended that a broadly Rawlsian perspective on social justice became prevalent in the late 20th century as a function of the rise of a mass-consumption economy & the adoption of the civil rights movement as a social relations framework. John Rawls's A Theory of Justice (1971) is seen as advancing a broad ideological orientation produced by those historical experiences. Each historical experience is described, & Rawls's theory is examined. Attention is also given to how the Rawlsian approach, which is deemed highly debatable, was accepted by many as a basic assumption beyond debate.