Diverging Standpoints in the Spiral of Change: A Survey on the Values of Social Justice among Students of Planning in China

Abstract

Through a survey among planning students in China, this research revealed the emergence of divergent standpoints on the values of social justice, where the respondents partially disagreed with the generally acknowledged principles of justice or opted to compromise when experiencing real-world dilemmas. It was observed that these were caused by the dialectical nature of social justice, in particular, by the three conflicting drivers of the modernization of China: freedom, development, and equality. This paper suggests that the moral guidance used in teaching ethics in planning can be enriched by investigating individuals’ ethical choices shaped by the changing sociopolitical ethos of their times.