The Tyrannical Impulse and Social Justice

There is no such thing as "social justice"; it is a null concept allegedly first-coined by Luigi Taparelli, a Catholic priest, c. 1840. If you try to find a definition of this term, you'll get something like this:

(from the Oxford English Dictionary): "justice in terms  of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and    privileges within a society."

(from The UN, 2006):  "the fair and equitable distribution of economic, political, and social resources, based on the principles of equality, human rights, and non-discrimination."

Just take a few minutes and digest that. Important questions arise. What are economic resources? Who decides what is fair, and just? Who distributes these things? And more importantly, who produces them?

Jean Valjean and Cosette

 

from Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo.

The story of Jean Valjean and Cosette is one of the central threads in Victor Hugo's novel "Les Misérables." Jean Valjean is a former convict who is transformed by the kindness of a bishop and becomes a compassionate and selfless man, dedicated to helping those in need.

After his release from prison, Valjean struggles to find work and is turned away from every opportunity because of his criminal past. Desperate and hungry, he steals silverware from the bishop's home but is caught and brought back to face punishment.

To everyone's surprise, the bishop tells the authorities that he gave Valjean the silverware as a gift and even gives him additional valuable items. The bishop's act of mercy changes Valjean's life, and he begins to live as an honest man, determined to make amends for his past mistakes.