Which form of justice addresses the distribution of wealth and privileges within a society?

• A. Social justice
• B. Commutative justice
• C. Legal justice
• D. Distributive justice

Answer: (D)

Distributive justice is about how a society allocates its goods—wealth, privileges, and opportunities—among its members. It asks whether resources are distributed in a fair way according to principles like need, equality, contribution, or merit, and it guides how public policies such as taxation, welfare, education, healthcare, and housing should function to foster a just balance.

Commutative justice deals with fair exchange between individuals, such as contracts and trades, ensuring honesty and equality in private transactions. Legal justice concerns the duties and rights of individuals in relation to the state—obeying laws, fulfilling civic obligations, and upholding the authority of legal institutions. Social justice is broader, addressing injustices in social structures and aiming for a more just arrangement of rights and opportunities across society; distributive justice is the piece that specifically targets how resources are shared within that structure.