The concept of “social justice” is inextricably linked to the left’s version of “equality” and its inverse, income inequality.”
Social Justice involves a judgement or punishment in order to equity or fairness for those who have allegedly been wronged. True justice, on the other hand, can only be achieved when one has all the facts and the moral authority to dispense justice fairly and equitably. One could also argue that only a perfect and omniscient being like God himself is truly just and can judge individuals with perfect fairness and correctness, i.e. righteousness.
Unfortunately, those on the left prefer their own version of justice which involves pitting the inalienable rights of the individual against the collective will of the state, believing that only a collectivist society can provide true social justice and equality for the masses.
There is no such thing as a mass of people – people do not congeal into one monolithic block, as if they were one plasmodial blob (cf. slime mold). A mass of people is, in reality, a group comprised of individuals. Despite the fact that socialists and communists believe that the “cult of individualism must be crushed,” the desire to rid humanity of its individualism is, to me, an act of self-loathing and psychological projection.
Unfortunately, the belief that the individual should not be permitted to be the masters of their own lives, but rather the subjects of a greater power–namely, the state–is nothing new. Free society is a very rare occurrence. Tyranny has been the common theme throughout mankind’s history.
Why is it that those who subscribe to the notion that individuals cannot benefit society for the “greater common good” unless managed by an elite cabal of so-called experts, believe an individual becomes more moral, honest and virtuous as part of the ruling class?
The often repeated refrain heard from those that embrace the “theory” that capitalists are greedy is a classical argument enshrined in The Manifesto of the Communist Party. Are not governments just as greedy, if not more so?
Milton Friedman once said that “the world is run by people pursuing their own self-interests.” Is that a bad thing? We would not have the personal computer if it was not for people like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniack pursuing their own self-interest, utilizing their own talents and abilities to produce wealth via their own industry. We would not have the automobile if it was not for people like Henry Ford pursuing his own self-interest.
So what is it about socialism, communism, or collectivism that makes it attractive to so many? The proponents of collectivist forms of government often promise “equality and harmony,” that all will be treated fairly and equally. But that is not the case.
According to Milton Friedman: “Whenever you try to do good with someone else’s money, you’re committed to using force. How can you do any good with someone else’s money unless you take it away from them? … Heaven preserve us from the sincere reformer who knows what’s good for us … and, by Heaven, will make us do it whether we like it or not.”
Echoing the sentiments of Bastiat from more than two centuries ago, Friedman concludes, “Government is a way by which every individual believes he can live at the expense of everybody else.”
