Just Society
The idea of a "just society" first gained modern attention when philosophers such as John Stuart Mill asked the question, "What is a 'just society?" Their writings covered several different perspectives including allowing individuals to live their lives as long as they didn't infringe on the rights to others, to the idea that the resources of society should be distributed to all, including those most deserving first. In 1861, John Stuart Mill published an essay entitled, "Utilitarianism". In this famous essay, Mill advocated the latter view, in which decision makers attended to the "common good" and all other citizens worked collectively to build communities and programs that would contribute to the good of other[1] s.
The term Just Society was later used as a rhetorical device used by Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to illustrate his vision for the nation. He first used the term in the 1968 Liberal Party leadership contest, at the height of "Trudeaumania", and it came to be seen as one of his trademark phrases.
Unlike the "Great Society" of US President Lyndon B. Johnson, the label Just Society was not attached to a specific set of reforms, but rather applied to all Trudeau's policies, from official bilingualism to the creation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The phrase is now an ingrained part of Canadian political discourse. Those on the social-democratic left consider themselves Trudeau's heirs and vigorously denounce any policy that would harm the Just Society legacy, while the neoliberal right attacks the notion that Trudeau's Canada was more "just" than other eras.
Native leader Harold Cardinal turned the phrase around in his book, The Unjust Society to argue against the assimilation of First Nations into white Canadian society.
[edit] Other uses
Additionally, the concept a just society, is the ideal strived for by advocates of social justice, civil rights, and toleration, of which Trudeau was one. Notable other users of the phrase have included Irish Prime Minister Liam Cosgrave of the Fine Gael party.
[edit] References
- ^ Ambrosino, Heffernan, Shuttlesworth, Ambrosino (2012). Social Work and Social Welfare. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. pp. 47. ISBN 978-1-111-30476-8.
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