Restoring the balance: An African perspective on justice

Abstract

Virtually all cultures around the world assume that men are equal in some fundamental respects. Issuing from this belief is the idea of justice, which demands giving to the “universal others” their due entitlement. Unfortunately, this is as far as the consensus goes. “What is due to all” is a matter of controversy which has elicited diverse and divergent suggestions from philosophers. This paper proposes to examine the core meaning of justice from an African perspective, which sees the latter as the preservation of harmony and balance in human relations.