The Inadequacy of justice as foundation ethical norm: A Kenyan perspective

Abstract

By comparing the philosophical approaches of Amartya Sen and John Rawls’s theory of justice, this paper shows that some similarities are based on different rationales. It follows that any attempts to find a common ground in Sen and Rawls provide a reasonable guidance for socio-political justice and ethics. And this can only be possible if we find the common ground from two approaches. While analyzing the rationales behind the role of philosophy and theology in this process, the paper will focus on justice as commutative, contributive and distributive from a Kenyan perspective. The libertarian concept of justice and ethical normative justifications will be taken as examples demonstrating practical difficulties in the applicability of justice. Then the question of whether or not justice could be the foundation ethical norm concludes.