The Dignity of the Human Person: Understanding and Upholding Justice

1. Being Just On Justice Prof. Fernandino J. Pancho

2. Dignity of the Human Person • Each Human being has tremendous dignity – God’s image and likeness is reflected in each person.

3. He/she is a PERSON • An individual substance of a rational nature. Conscious Being Embodied spirit Being Historical Being Open and Relational Unique and Fundamentally Equal Being

4. TheHuman Person possessesDignity that has No Price butValue. (Immanuel Kant)

5. It is UNIVERSAL; NEITHER ACQUIRED NOR LOST; DO NOT ADMIT DEGREES

6. WE ARE ALL EQUAL IN ESSENTIAL DIGNITY

7. We share one and the same origin and we possess the same human nature The Order of Nature FUNDAMENTALLY EQUAL all of us have been redeemed by Christ and are called to share in His divine life Supernatural Order

8. It is in our nature to long to belong. We need to belong to a group, community or society. This need comes from our inner being. The Order of Nature SOCIAL The social nature of human beings is based on a constituent element of our nature, that is, we can communicate. Such is the deepest ground of the social nature of human beings. Rationality

9. Living a moral life bears witness to the dignity of the person.

10. How can we know that we are respected? Concept of Justice

11. Social Mission = To Proclaim Justice To Proclaim Justice = To work for true Justice and Peace

12. To work for Justice = Correct Understanding of Justice Correct action/praxis = Correct Doctrine of Justice; Otherwise it’s Superficial Activism

13. Where can we find correct understanding of Justice? Sources of STC

14. A virtue or attitude that makes one conform to the moral norm Justice in the O.T.

15. Moral norm = Law of Covenant

16. Fidelity to the Covenant is Fidelity to others

17. Concept of Justice in O.T. • Justice is interpersonal relationship • There is no true justice if there is no concern for others • If There is no true justice, there is no true worship

18. Christ’s Teaching Inner rectitude Not only giving his/her due but giving what is also yours Compassionate justice Pharisaical Justice Exterior conformity Legalistic Loveless justice Justice in N.T.

19. Church’s Tradition on Justice Justice – commitment/firm will to give each person or social group what belongs to him or them.

20. Division of Justice • Commutative Justice – relation between individuals; exchange of goods and services according to strict equality

21. Division of Justice 2. Distributive Justice - obligation of community to individual; equitable distribution of benefits and burdens; fair share not equal share

22. Division of Justice 3. Contributive or Legal – general good of community and obliges members of community with demands of common good

23. Division of Justice 4. Social Justice – the authority looks to situation of different groups in society and give them their due as members of the community

24. Society Distributive Social Contributive Justice Individual Individual Commutative (Contractual)

25. Ambiguities of Justice 1. Tendency to understand justice as more of a subjective virtue leading to negligence of the objective aspect of Justice

26. Ambiguities of Justice 2. “Traditional concept” – considers law as its object

27. Ambiguities of Justice 3. Minimalism – orientation towards “acceptable” or “passable” minimum

28. Ambiguities of Justice 4. Neglect of moral rectification of social structures “Justice to be true and authentic must never be manipulated by established order to serve its own interest.”

29. Justice and Charity/Love • The demand of Justice is intimately tied up with Christian command of love. • They are inseparable. • Love implies an absolute demand of Justice. • Justice attains its inner fullness only in love

30. Justice and Charity/Love “For in Justice, the other person can remain ‘another’, an alien. But in love the other is a friend even a brother and sister in Christ.” (PCP II 305; CFC 952)

31. Our Task:Thou shalt See, Judge, Act • See the facts; know the reality • Use social analysis and moral values to make judgments about the facts • Plan a realistic and effective strategy for action

32. Seatwork Cite 3 events that concretely show the concept “What is legal is not necessarily moral.”

33. HUMAN DIGNITY MEANS: POSSESSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS • We have rights and responsibilities - A right is a claim we can make on each other and on society for certain basic minimum conditions.

34. ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS: UNIVERSALITY NEITHER ACQUIRED NOR LOST DO NOT ADMIT DEGREES

35. HUMAN RIGHTS IN RELATION TO THINGS, POWERS OR PRIVILEGES TO WHICH INDIVIDUAL HAVE A JUST CLAIM OR ARE ENTITLED TO UNDER NATURAL LAW AS A CONSEQUENCE OF BEING HUMAN

36. TWO KINDS OF RIGHTS • NATURAL RIGHTS • RIGHTS THAT COME FROM • HUMAN NATURE ITSEF • EXIST PRIOR TO ANY FORM • OF HUMAN ORGANIZATION • OR INSTITUTION

37. 2. LEGAL RIGHTS GRANTED TO CITIZENS BY THE GOVERNMENT SPECIFIC TO PARTICULAR CULTURES SUBJECT TO SOCIAL CONSIDERATIONS

38. DUTIES THE DEBT THAT WE HAVE TO PAY FOR THE RIGHT WE ALL POSSESS

39. RIGHTS AND DUTIES ARE CORELATIVE: TO ONE MAN’S RIGHTS THERE CORRESPONDS A DUTY IN ALL OTHER PERSONS

40. TWO STAGES THAT MANIFEST THE FUNDAMENTAL CORRELATION BETWEEN RIGHTS AND DUTIES FIRST STAGE: WHEN THE POSSESOR IS CONSCIOUS OF HIS RIGHTS AND IS EQUALLY AWARE OF HIS DUTIES AND OBLIGATION TO DISCHARGE THESE DUTIES

41. SECOND STAGE: COMES ABOUT IN THE RELATIONSHIP THAT EXISTS BETWEEN THE RIGHT OF THE PERSON AND THE OBLIGATION OF OTHERS TO RECOGNIZE AND RESPECT IT.

42. HUMAN RIGHTS • Rights to life and a worthy standard of living • Right to moral and cultural values • Right to worship • Right to choose one state of life

43. Economic Rights: right to work, safe working conditions, a just wage and to private property Right of meeting and association Right to emigrate and immigrate Political rights: includes the right to participate in public affairs

44. HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION AMONG WOMEN China – infanticide Israel – invisibility No women priests Arranged marriages Minimal discrimination in the workplace

45. HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION AMONG THE POOR Deprivation from basic necessities Lack of proper education Social discrimination Unjust wages for the unskilled workers and underemployment Rights to vote are taken advantage of Deprivation from proper governmental attention and action

46. HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION AMONG THE POOR Deprivation from adequate legal rights Limited information

47. HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION AMONG THE LABORERS Unjust wages Overworked; underpaid Underemployment Poor working conditions Large amount of taxes Maltreatment (verbal, physical, emotional abuses) Unjust compensation

48. “new capital” is the new trend Sudden lay-offs Right to promotions (biased employers) Deception (in case of the OFWs) Discrimination

49. HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION AMONG CHILDREN Deprivation of right to education Child abuse (verbal and physical) Child labor (trafficking, pornography, prostitution, etc.) Deprivation of right to life (abortion, not being well cared for) Not having a “true” family (divorced parents, pinamimigay ‘yung bata)

50. Deprivation of right to express themselves (conforming to parents’ wishes, not being allowed to explain themselves) Deprivation of right to basic necessities (for poor children, lack of food, shelter, clothes, etc.)