Theory of Justice: The Sword of Conscience and the Tremor of Existence

Soyo's Reflections on Justice in the Ethics of Existential Turmoil

Justice

Humans Who Question Justice

Justice is both a question philosophy has perpetually posed and an unshakable pillar of human society. Yet justice has always been invoked in the name of condemning others and maintaining order, sometimes degenerating into the language of power. In courtrooms, on political platforms, or invoked in the name of institutions, justice has often been distorted into judgment directed at others, rather than a tremor piercing the human heart.

Soyo's Existential Ethics poses a new question within this long tradition of justice theory. Is justice truly the act of judging others, or is it the blade that pierces oneself? Soyo's theory of justice begins with the declaration: “Justice is the sword of conscience.”

The Path of Classical Justice

Plato: Order and Harmony

In The Republic, Plato viewed justice as the social harmony realized when each person holds their proper place. Just as the soul's reason, spirit, and desire achieve balance, he said, "justice prevails when each social class fulfills its role". For him, justice was synonymous with order and harmony.

Aristotle: Distribution and Correction

Aristotle divided justice into distributive justice and corrective justice. He believed resources should be distributed according to ability and merit, and wrongful acts should be corrected through reward and punishment. Justice was systematized as rules of fairness and equity.

John Rawls: Justice as Fairness

In modern times, Rawls posited social institutions chosen by rational beings behind a “veil of ignorance,” defining justice as the principle of fairness. Justice became the norm for social design, ensuring equitable benefit distribution for all, including the socially vulnerable.

Soyo's Existential Justice Theory: The Sword of Conscience

However, existential ethics does not view justice solely through the language of social rules or institutions. Justice is not defined within institutions. It is an inner resonance born when the conscience of existence trembles.

Justice is not judgment, but piercing.

In the Theory of Justice, justice is not a verdict. Before judging others' right or wrong, it is a blade piercing my own inner self. That blade, called conscience, splits existence into two.

One is the blade of desire. The instinctive impulse born from the imperfection and deficiency of human nature. The other is the blade of humility. The trembling that arises from emptying desire and lowering oneself. Justice resonates only in the clash between these two blades, in the moment it silently aims at itself.

Justice is not an institution, but a confession.

Justice cannot be said to be guaranteed by law and institutions. Rather, when law and institutions are used in the name of oppression and violence, justice vanishes. The theory of justice in turmoil finds justice in the confession of the oppressed, the trembling of the silent, the cry of those who reject power. Justice is not a tool of politics, but the human voice that emerges only where politics has collapsed.

Soyo's Resonance of Justice: Tremors Diffusing as Social Memory

In the Theory of Disturbing Justice, justice is not confined within the individual. The tremor of one being diffuses into social memory. When suppressed memories are summoned forth; when cries stifled in silence are etched into society's heart, justice is realized.

Philosophical Innovation: The Distinctiveness of the Theory of Justice Through Disturbance

The Theory of Justice Through Disturbance possesses three distinct characteristics that set it apart from traditional theories of justice.

1. Justice Beginning with the Resonance of Being

Justice originates not from social consensus, but from the sword of conscience that confronts me.

2. Justice after Political Deconstruction

Justice does not stem from elections or the legitimacy of power; it blossoms from the human voice left behind where power has collapsed.

3. Justice through Existential Experience

Justice is not the language of rules, but an existential confession born from the pain and wounds of being.

Justice: the Blade of Human Existence

Justice is not confined within courtroom verdicts. It is the sword of conscience trembling within human existence. That sword does not point at others but first at myself; only when its resonance spreads as a social tremor does justice come alive.

Soyo's Theory of Justice states:

“Justice is not judgment. Justice is the resonance that pierces oneself in silence.”

Soyo (逍遙) – Founder of ‘Soyo's Existential Ethics’, Author of The Silence of Being and The Flame of Truth

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