Why Do We Shield Our Fellow Man from Justice?
For the Same Reason We Shield Our Children from Justice
My 12 year old daughter taught me this week—in her words—“Justice means getting what is due to you.”
Reminder to myself -- It is our duty to guide justice upon our fellow man; to give him what he is due. To bring justice, means to care about his long-term growth—for he will not learn without consequences. Doing otherwise is to harm both of us, and our community. Doing otherwise is unjust.
Russ Roberts writes
Punishment is perhaps surprisingly, more generous than giving criminals a pass. It benefits society.
Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.
If you let wickedness slide, if you lose the ability to discriminate between right and wrong, your own moral sense will degrade. That is the ultimate cruelty because it will lead to a world of indifference to darkness.
In other words, justice is a virtue that benefits the innocent, the guilty and the community. It promotes learning and growth. It promotes virtue.
Why do we shield the criminal from justice? Why do we shield the child from justice? Oftentimes out of guilt. We cave in because we feel sorry him. We might even blame ourselves for his behavior. Rationalizing that, “We didn’t do our part to teach him right in the first place, so we’ll let him off this time.” That mentality can become a cancer.
Justice takes discipline. Sometimes, it means acting in the positive to bring about justice. Other times, it requires non-action—allowing the criminal to experience the natural consequences of his actions. Shielding the criminal or the child from consequences is to prevent his longterm growth.
(This post was partly inspired by a comment on Arnold Kling’s first “Current Things” post).