Just problems?

Abstract

Justice is normally the language of complaint, and sometimes of revenge. Justice is often, therefore, analysed as a negative virtue whose demands can be met simply by doing nothing beyond correcting the wrongs inflicted on others. However, most worked-out views as to what constitutes injustice involve at least an outline image of justice in a positive sense which goes beyond correcting the wrongs that have been done and include an impression of a "just" human relationship. The idea of injustice is closely associated with reactions to the disappointment of existing expectations. Hence justice, at least in its negative expressions, can have strong conservative implications in that it seeks to sustain the status quo in society against destructive and disorderly intrusions.