"This is justice."
Watching the news, Haru said.
"Justice for whom?" Ren asked back.
"For everyone."
"Everyone doesn't exist," Simon joined in.
Haru was surprised. "Justice isn't one thing?"
"It changes by position," Ren answered.
"But there's obvious evil."
"What some call evil, others call justice."
Haru was confused. "So there's no objective justice?"
Simon explained. "Rawls proposed the 'veil of ignorance.'"
"Veil of ignorance?"
"Considering justice without knowing your position."
"Why?"
"To eliminate bias. For fair judgment."
Ren supplemented. "Suppose you don't know if you're rich or poor."
"What society would you choose?"
"One that's acceptable even in the worst position."
Haru thought. "Logic of self-preservation?"
"Yes. But it produces fairness."
Simon offered another view. "In utilitarianism, greatest happiness for greatest number is justice."
"Majority's benefit?"
"Yes. But minorities get sacrificed."
Haru objected. "Isn't that injustice?"
"Utilitarianly, overall benefit takes priority."
Ren said, "Kantianly, you mustn't use people as means."
"People are ends?"
"Yes. Whatever the reason, dignity can't be violated."
Haru was confused. "Justice definitions are scattered."
"Philosophy's history is like that," Simon admitted. "There's no one answer."
"So how do we decide?"
"Dialogue and consensus. Democracy's foundation."
Ren supplemented. "Procedural justice. If process is fair, result is just."
"Process?"
"Did everyone participate and agree?"
Haru nodded. "But majority rule?"
"Majority rule has limits too. Basic human rights can't be taken by vote."
"Human rights are justice's standard?"
Simon answered, "The UN Declaration aimed for universal justice."
"But interpretation varies by culture."
"That's difficult. Clash between cultural relativism and universalism."
Ren gave an example. "Right in one culture, wrong in another."
"Which is justice?"
"Might be both, or neither."
Haru sighed. "Justice is ambiguous."
"Ambiguous but necessary," Simon said.
"Why?"
"For social order. Without common standards, chaos ensues."
Ren continued, "But absolutizing becomes violence."
"Imposing one's justice."
"History repeats that."
Haru asked, "So what to do?"
"Humility," Simon answered. "Your justice is also just one perspective."
"Relativization?"
"But not anything goes."
Ren explained. "There's minimum common ground. Like rejecting violence."
"Universal?"
"Fairly universal. Not complete."
Haru thought. "Justice is something to aim for?"
"Unreachable but worth pursuing," Simon nodded.
"Like the horizon."
"Yes. Approaching but never fully reaching."
Ren looked at the window. "Justice is a process."
"Never complete?"
"Constantly updated. As society changes, justice changes."
Haru stood up. "So justice is on no one's side."
"Tries to be on everyone's side. But can't perfectly," Simon answered.
"Imperfect justice."
"Because humans are imperfect," Ren said.
Haru smiled. "But don't give up."
"Yes. Give up, it's over."
Simon stood up. "Justice is dialogue. Hearing different perspectives, adjusting."
"Endless dialogue."
"Yes. That's democracy."
The three left the classroom. Seeking justice, but no single answer.
Haru murmured, "Justice is something we create together."
"Keep creating," Ren answered.
"Keep updating," Simon added.
Justice never completes. But that's okay. Because it doesn't complete, dialogue continues.