The quest for justice… This is a noble cause that has fascinated Man since he learned to form a coherent thought (well, in the best case scenario). But of course, the reality is much more fun: everyone has their own definition of a “fair world”.
Obviously, there is no consensus.
Let’s first take the world of Submissive Man, where we spend most of our time following rules we never really chose. The work, the obligations, the famous “system” — it all looks like a huge game of Monopoly where the dice are loaded.
Then, a classic of classics: Guilty Man according to Augustine of Hippo. Ah, good old guilt, that delicious feeling of having constantly done something wrong, even if you don’t really know what. Justice? A matter of divine redemption, obviously. We should have behaved better, but it’s too late, isn’t it?
Let’s move on to Spinoza, with his luminous approach where Man is determined by nature. In other words, do you think you have a choice? Spoiler number two: you are a small cog in a well-oiled cosmic machine. Justice? It’s about accepting your fate like a good stoic and letting nature do its job.
Leibniz arrives with his concept of the best of all possible worlds. According to him, everything is already optimized — it’s just that you haven’t received the latest update yet to understand how. Injustice, disasters? Well, these are features, not bugs. As they say, “it’s for your own good.”
Then Nietzsche, never one to be outdone, arrives with his world without authority. He suggests sweeping away all these prefabricated ideas and building a tailor-made morality. What is the point of justice as we understand it? Create your own rules and stop complaining! After all, freedom is nice, except when you have to face the consequences.
Finally, a big thank you to Everett, who makes us dream with his multiple worlds. Imagine all these parallel realities where you could be a king, an artist or maybe even able to keep your New Year’s resolutions. Each decision generates a new world, so why worry about justice in this one? There’s probably another one where everything is fine.
The world will ask you who you are, and if you don’t know, the world will tell you.
Carl Jung.
Justice therefore essentially depends on the angle of attack: submissive, guilty, determined or downright liberated, everyone has their own vision. But let’s be honest, maybe it’s time to accept that perfect justice, like unicorns, is a cool myth, but unlikely.
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