What is justice?

[ZombieHorde]

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/justice">Here is the definition of justice from the fantastic web-site, Dictionary.com. Unfortunately, this definition is not very helpful. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/just">This definition of the word, just, may be a little more helpful. If you have any thoughts or feelings on justice, please share them.

[Oregone]

1. Perhaps..

Its an arbitrary satisfaction of some relative morality system, in application to someone who may of violated it. Being that morality is not objective and universal, what does that tell you about justice.

[ZombieHorde]

2. Your description of justice sounds like a branch of sadism. nt

[Oregone]

3. And isn't that just about right?

One of the original pieces on it presents an alternative reason (Aeschylus). Justice there exist as a method of alternative punishment to prevent people wronged from endlessly killing others in the name of perpetual revenge. Either concept doesn't exactly refer to justice as some sacred and divine statue from God or some universal moral "arc". Rather, as a means to deal with human nature and keep people happy.

[ZombieHorde]

4. Is sadism a prerequisite for civilized human communities?

Or is justice a method for tempering societal sadism?

[Oregone]

5. Its a prerequisite for being human.

And thats why "justice" works. It appeals to all our sadistic and homicidal human urges, while allowing us to refrain from our natural tendencies to be the inflictors of pain upon the "wicked" (the violators of our morality system).