The Importance of Justice

Abstract

Abstract This chapter argues for the priority of justice over other values, specifically when it comes to judging the legitimacy of political institutions. The justice-based instrumentalist theory of legitimacy is contrasted with two families of competitors. Minimalist theories claim that legitimacy is based on promoting stability, peace, or some similar value, with justice deemed too demanding a goal. Maximalist theories claim that justice is not enough and that legitimate institutions must be assessed against their promotion of welfare or human perfection. The chapter argues against both competitors, coming to the result that justice enjoys greater weight than competing values, although probably not in the form of lexical priority.