On Justice

By Bob Schaffer, Headmaster

Americans should be deeply concerned about a growing tendency toward incessant assertions of one’s rights. In the first place, it is a most unfortunate fact that so many citizens lack the basic understanding of the meaning of a legitimate right.

There are, of course, natural rights, legal rights, civil rights and other kinds. Even among those who should know the difference, how many politicians today exhibit elementary competence (much less an inclination) to discern a right from an entitlement?

How about among soldiers? Teachers? Pastors? Even judges?

Throughout our Republic, the sanctity of individual rights is the paramount object of human dignity. The moral virtue absolutely necessary to uphold any right is justice.

Justice is not a mere function of the law. It is a mature appreciation of what is due another whether among equals, superiors or subordinates.

In fact, the law alone is inadequate to the maintenance of justice. Some laws actually pervert it.

Unlike a fundamental right, justice is not always equally distributed. What one is due is peculiar to each individual. For example, justice defines itself differently in the cases of the elderly, parents, veterans, the sick, children, widows, employees, the poor.

Justice is not something one typically claims for himself. He understands it belongs to others as he engages in normal relationships with his neighbors.

A right is natural, self-evident and unalienable whereas justice is not. Justice is a core fiber of morality that must be embraced, practiced and acts of justice are perfected.

The benevolent leader will overcome the impulse of self-advancement – of dwelling on his own rights – by concerning himself first with his obligations to others. That is what it means to be in possession of the cardinal, moral virtue of justice.

Indeed, as Aristotle observed, “In justice is all virtues found in sum.” One goal of the serious leader must be to reinforce virtuous habits of justice, to firm the will, subjecting it to reason in an effort to flush selfishness and defend true rights.