An Essay on Natural and Distributive Justice

Abstract

The article addresses the issues of natural justice and distributive justice. The traditional formula “to render to everyone his or her own” (suum cuique tribuere) was taken as the point of departure. The discussion leads to the conclusion that natural justice concerns every person, and that everyone is entitled to inherent, innate rights, fundamental human rights. The exercise of natural justice ensures basic participation in the goods of the community, namely the state. This is so because this justice requires that every person be provided with an existence appropriate to the dignity of the human person. The relationship between natural justice and distributive justice exists at the level of elementary objective needs. Natural justice, when exercised, in a sense meets the formula “to render to everyone according to their legitimate needs”, meeting objective, basic needs, but this applies only to part of society. This justice is broader, it does not boil down to these elementary needs and, of course, it relates also to other things than needs. In a sense, it could be said that natural justice “intervenes” where justice applied according to the principles of proportionality is not enough. Man, with his or her guaranteed natural, equal rights enacted as positive law in line with natural justice, through his or her own action “uses justice” by using (positive) law and provides himself or herself with a decent life. However, natural justice does not omit anyone, its implementation actually replaces the formula of distribution justice “render to everyone according to legitimate needs”. In distributive justice, equality is about proportion to the contribution made, but also to the merit. Of these two principles, the guiding principle, because of its universality, is the formula “render to everyone according to their contribution”: those who contribute more to the good of the community, receive more.