Political Responsibility And Structural Injustice By Iris Marion Young

A just society is a society where everyone has equal opportunity and the same basic human rights. In this kind of society, no inequalities exist. Even though everyone may have the same rights, they do not necessarily hold the same positions. Each person in a just society plays a different substantial role. Some of these roles may be a mother, brother, teacher, student, doctor, and many more. Each of these roles hold different values and characteristics. For example, a mother may hold the value of nurturing her children. Even though each person plays a different role, there are aspects that all people interested in a just society have in common. Although majority do, some people however do not agree with these aspects and therefore display uninterest

However, I find my argument compelling. A philosopher who might particularly challenge my argument is Iris Marion Young. Iris Marion Young’s writing, “Political Responsibility and Structural Injustice”, may be specifically used as a counter argument. In her writing, Young discusses how citizens of a society should understand their responsibilities to approach injustices. In her counter argument, Young may argue that political responsibility is more than just abiding by moral expectations, following just laws, and maintaining a strong relationship with others. In her writing she says that political responsibility is “phenomena and movements of collective action, where people work together to form public works and institutions” (Young 11). Young may claim that even if someone followed all of the aspects I introduced, we may still end up with societal problems and a contribution to injustices. This is an interesting point to make. I agree that to eliminate structural injustices we must work together. However, I do not see how injustices may be created if we live in a society where we specifically follow just laws. Just laws firmly lay moral laws that citizens must abide by, and therefore, prevent injustices from arising in society. If someone were to find a way to construct injustices in a just society, they should be permanently removed. After all, they clearly were not abiding by the just laws of a just