Proportionate justice
Topic: Equality and Social Justice · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 4 "Social Justice"
Meaning
Proportionate justice is one of NCERT's three principles of justice. It starts from equal rights for all. On top of that, rewards should match the effort, skill, risk and quality of the work done. Aristotle called this proportional equality. It balances the principle of treating equals equally, because giving identical rewards for very different work would also be unfair.
Example
Exam marks should follow the quality of the answers, not be the same for everyone. NCERT also notes that miners, skilled craftsmen and the police are often under-rewarded for the dangers and skill their work involves.
Don't confuse with
- Treating equals equally: this means the same work earns the same reward. Proportionate justice means different work earns different rewards.
- Meritocracy: rewards based only on tested talent. Proportionate justice starts from equal rights first.