Social Injustice: TortureSay no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay A social injustice, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is an unjust act that violates the rights of others. As society changes, the groups of individuals who experience injustice often change as well. As one thing becomes accepted, something new becomes a target. The effects of injustice can be seen in a wide range of things. Some people face social isolation, discrimination, and social inequality, while others may experience all of these things as well as physical and/or mental assault. Torture, taking the form of both physical and mental violence, has been used as a means of obtaining information as well as a form of punishment for many years (Innes 2019). Examples of cases where torture was an unjust act, violating the rights of a group of individuals include African American slaves in the mid-1800s, Jews throughout World War II, and the Massacre of Santa Cruz by the Indonesian army in the 1990s (Stanley 2011). ). Although these are more extreme examples, torture and injustice still take place in other contexts today. Common injustices experienced by Americans today and in the past include things like racial discrimination, gender inequality, discrimination due to sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion, and more. Women are denied the same wages as men, homosexuals are denied the same marriage rights as heterosexuals, and minorities experience difficulties that the majority do not. Over time, philosophies have been developed with the aim of analyzing and explaining various visions of society. The political philosophy discussed in class that would encourage the elimination of torture is the philosophy of critical citizenship. This philosophy is based on the views of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. According to this philosophy, four criteria determine whether a law is just or unjust (Konczal 1997). The first asserts that any law that degrades human personality is unjust, but that any law that upholds it is just. Torture is degrading in the sense that physical and/or mental pain and humiliation are inflicted on a person for the benefit or pleasure of another person. The second criterion states that an unjust law is one that a majority inflicts on a minority. (Konczal 1997). This is seen many times throughout history, one example being white Americans torturing African Americans during the era of slavery in the United States. The third criterion implies that a law inflicted on a minority incapable of voting or influencing the creation of said law is unjust. Again, we see examples of this during slavery. We also see examples of this in early history, when women and minorities were not allowed to vote. The fourth and final criterion stated in this philosophy is that a law is also considered unjust when it appears on its face, but is unjust in the manner in which it is applied. (Konczal 1997). An example of such a situation would be detaining someone for questioning, which seems simple on the surface, and then resorting to physical or mental violence in order to get answers, which is unfair in its application. Overall, torture meets the four conditions of an unjust law according to the philosophy of critical citizenship. On the other hand, some political philosophies support injustices rather,.