Picture It…
You are out, downtown, heading to your destination. As you are walking down the sidewalk, you see a person sitting up against a building with a blanket wrapped around them. They look disheveled, clothes are worn, and they are dirty. They start to look up and just before you make eye contact you dart your eyes in a different direction. You step wide of them and then you hear them ask for help. You ignore them and go on, your mind filling with all the possibilities that got them there. Was it drugs, money issues, or maybe they are just crazy. You pass judgment on them and try to remove the image from your mind. You go on with your business thinking they should clean themselves up, look for a job, and try to better themselves.
Are you guilty of this? I hate to admit that I know I am. I was raised with the idea that beggars are where they are because they have done something wrong. They are the castoffs of society due to choices they have made. I like to think I am not that person and want to be better but the fact is, I am just as much a part of the Just World Fallacy as is most every other person out there.
Wait, you are unfamiliar with the Just World Fallacy? Well, dear reader, read on as today we see if there is an Unfair World? The Just Work Hypothesis Explained and How to Manage Your Perception.
- Good Vibes Only? Why We Believe Good People Get Good Things
- Beyond Good and Bad: The Plot Twist of the Just World Hypothesis
- Holy Fairness? Christianity and the Just World Theory
- Life Is Complicated: Embracing Fairness Without the Fairy Tale
- Moving On From the Just-World Hypothesis
Good Vibes Only? Why We Believe Good People Get Good Things
Ever wonder why superheroes always win and grumpy characters get pranked? That’s kind of like the idea of the Just World Fallacy or the Just World Hypothesis. It’s the belief that life plays fair: good people get good stuff, and meanies get what’s coming to them. But is the world really that simple? Can people really be broken down to such binary classification systems?
Oddly enough, we use this system of made up measures, almost daily. Here is an example that I often still fall into as well. You are on your way to work. Suddenly you swerve to avoid a dog that ran into the road. As you do, you are forced to pull off onto the side of the road to make sure everything is okay. As you are checking in with yourself and calming down you watch a large dump truck barrel through a red light and crash into a pole, a mere twenty feet in front of you. Had you not pulled off on the side of the road, you just know the truck would have hit you. Your first thought is that someone was looking out for you or that you were lucky. That dog saved you – somehow. That falls into the Just World Fallacy.
There are a multitude of reasons behind why most humans tend to believe in this fallacy. The biggest one is that it allows us to have the mindset that all of the hard work we think we do in this world will be rewarded. We will get a hot partner, a perfect house, surrounded by loving friends, and more. It is a reason to work hard throughout our live. The other is the belief is that our rewards will come to us in the hereafter. We do good because we are commanded by some being that lives in the sky. The word of that higher being implies that if we submit to their teachings we will be rewarded and those that do not will be punished, on Earth and in Heaven.
Beyond Good and Bad: The Plot Twist of the Just World Hypothesis
Embracing the notion of a just world can inadvertently foster unfair attitudes and behaviors. Popular sayings like “What goes around comes around” and “You reap what you sow” may sound wise, but they can inadvertently contribute to a lack of empathy. By emphasizing individual responsibility, these clichés divert attention from the broader societal and contextual elements that contribute to human suffering. The comforting belief in a just world serves to alleviate stress by instilling faith in a moral order, assuring us that good individuals, like ourselves, have little to fear.
The bad thing about the Just World Fallacy is that you seem to find instances everywhere that backs it up. Do you remember being in school and watching that straight A student get attention from all of the teachers. Colleges are competing to get them at their campus and somehow they manage to get a full ride academic scholarship to the best school in the country. All of this because of the hard work they put in studying. That seems to lend credence to the fallacy. Especially when you see a student who doesn’t put in effort to study, their grades aren’t as good, and they don’t get into college. The biggest problem with this assumption is that you are not actually factoring in what the person wants to do and what they are doing to achieve it.
Holy Fairness? Christianity and the Just World Theory
There is plenty of documentation that backs up the mindset that Christian religion imbued Western thought with the most fundamental belief that God reigns over a just world where sin is punished and those who follow his word are rewarded. If something positive happens to us, we thank God for bestowing gifts upon us. If something bad happens we tend to blame it on our bad luck. Throughout history, whether it be the Bible or works of literature, this “Immanent justice” (Just World Fallacy) works to back up these thoughts. It basked up our attitudes about the poor, victims of crimes, or any random person who happens to be down on their luck
The Just World Fallacy or Just World Hypothesis is the epitome of the phrase, “What goes around, comes around.” It is the belief that good deeds are rewarded and the bad ones are punished. Many Christians believe in a God who is ultimately just, but the Bible also paints a complex picture of suffering and reward.The Just World Fallacy is the core reason as to why theists believe in a God. It fills their desire for balance and fairness which is psychologically ingrained into us, no matter our religious beliefs. This imagined belief has us seeing our world and the universe as something that has to be in balance. We see a balancing of systems in science and math and think that it backs up our religious views.
In the Chritians version of the Just World Fallacy, if you are a good, God fearing Christian and do as you are told, follow the word of God without question, and submit to him you will be rewarded with a good place in this world and a better place in heaven. If you don’t, then you deserve what comes to you.Christians use this as a way to restore moral balance in the world.
Life Is Complicated: Embracing Fairness Without the Fairy Tale
We all crave a world where good triumphs over evil and everyone gets their happy ending. But life throws curveballs, leaving us grappling with concepts of fairness that feel more nuanced than a children’s story. In this section, we’ll challenge the idea of a one-size-fits-all fairness and explore how to pursue a more equitable and just reality, even when things get messy.
Humans have a natural desire for fairness, a world where good deeds are rewarded and bad ones punished. This “karmic scenario” feels inherently just, and randomness can be unsettling. It’s no wonder we gravitate towards happy endings in movies and the concept of “just desserts.” When bad things happen, we search for a reason, a way to make sense of a seemingly unfair world.
In contrast to the comforting idea of karma, naturalist atheism presents a different reality: the universe lacks inherent moral judgment. Here, unpleasant events occur simply because they can, not as a cosmic reward or punishment. This absence of a grand plan can be unsettling, especially for those who crave a sense of fairness. It’s perhaps no surprise then, that a core value in many religions – the belief in a just world – arises from, or reinforces, a deep-seated desire for cosmic equilibrium. This search for meaning and order in a chaotic universe fuels the fire of faith for many believers.
Moving On From the Just-World Hypothesis
Today, we explored the concept of the Just World Fallacy, the belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. This comforting illusion can lead us to make judgments about those less fortunate than ourselves. By recognizing the fallacy and embracing the complexity of life, we can move towards a more empathetic and just world. Just remember: Shit definitely does happen and to everyone!
How do you feel about the Just World Fallacy? Do you feel it is the best rule to live by or do you feel that all people are deserving. Do those feelings extend to those that are homeless, regardless of how they got there? Does that opinion change if we are talking about a woman with children who are forced to live in a housing shelter to escape an abusive relationship and if so why? Let me know in the comments below.
Gay in the CLE 