Each individual is a body of its own. Not simply the body seen as flesh and bones, but a working system of debating moral and logical mind stances. No two people ever see a topic exactly the same and have differing judgments and views concerning just about anything. Even now, after reading the word "anything" our minds are going down different roads of what "anything" entails.
Social justice is a collection of different views among the society that are taken into account and the most popular being chosen as their version of justice. Now in society with leaders, there can be a differing of opinions that can be between to leading figures or the leading figure(s) and the society as a whole. An extreme example would be a society where the majority of people believe it justified to kill another human in order to save one's own life. The government however believes that killing in any means is unmoral and thus is not tolerated at all. The government represents moral authority while the people represent social justice. Neither is correct or incorrect over the other. A compromise would need to be met in order for the group to continue on without major conflict.
The issue between Antigone and Creon is more of a personal debate. Creon is some what of the moral authority while Antigone is more of the social justice. Creon's rule allows him to control, but his views on moral authority leads him to believe that his moral belief should out way public opinion. Antigone's wish to bury her brother is in line with the social norm of the Thebes, but she is prevented and cast into her stone tomb. Creon loses control once those around him begin to take action in favor of social justice; Creon's son taking his own life followed shortly by Creon's wife. Perhaps Athens' own way of proving public opinion important.
For justice's relationship to power, power is needed for justice (whether it is perceived as such) to be executed at all. Should a just cause or idea have no ability to support it's claim, then it can not be effective. Power does not have to be a ruler or strength, but merely a support by those that it would be affecting. Power's relation to freedom can be a double edged sword however. Power can free as quickly as it can cage. Should any examples be needed to prove power's capability to trap, look at those that have lead in the past and the rules they must follow.
The idea of justice is in some ways order. A common rule that can properly protect and punish. Justice being founded in a set of moral codes and beliefs. Justice however in a world of imperfection is chaotic in some nature. What justice maybe to one is injustice to another, and justice can fail, be misled, or be avoided. This irregularity causes a sense of chaos in justice, the only protection against which is question. By questioning what is justice, as Professor Lemak suggests we should, then the possibility of justice failing is lessened.
(minifig, page, September 16, 2006. flickr March 7 2010)
I really enjoyed how you looked at each side of justice and power. In particular I liked your final line: "By questioning what is justice, as Professor Lemak suggests we should, then the possibility of justice failing is lessened", which is a nice solution to the multiple interpretations of the word.
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