On the Concept of Social Justice: Hayek, Rawls, Motahhari and Sadr

This study explores the concept of social justice based on the ideas of four contemporary theorists. Hayek represents libertarians, Rawls the most prominent Philosopher of current century, Motahhari and Sadr as a thinker of Islamic concepts. Hayek believes social justice is misdealing and the striving for it will also produce highly undesirable consequences. He defines justice by rules of individual conduct. “Spontaneous order” play essential role in his ideas. Rawls sees ‘justice as fairness’ as answering to the demands of both freedom and equality, a challenge posed by the socialist critique of liberal democracy. In this regard justice is an agreement on principles which is reached arbitrarily in “veil of ignorance”. Rawls's main guide in achieving principles of justice is maximin principle and the lack of awareness of individuals about the future social status. Motahari regards justice as observance of the law. He recognizes both the natural rights of the individual and the legal community. According to Shahid Motahari, the only way to legitimize and validate natural rights is to accept the purpose of the world order. In Sadr's view, although justice is one of the three principles of the general construction of Islamic economics, the position of justice is beyond the core and is the foundation stone of the Islamic School of Economics. Additionally, Islam has shown its sensitivity to the final makeup of facilities in society, with two principles: public cooperation and social balance.