Essay Example: A Just State

In the philosophical arena, intersectionality is defined as an alternative way of stereotyping and explicitly explaining the aspects of oppression as well as discrimination. It tends to refer to how the human race coexists in accordance to specific styles of life, how human beings go about treating each other differently based on diverse aspects such as race, gender, social classes, and sexuality as well as the consequent outcomes of humans treating each other differently (Mitchell, 2018). Hence, by portraying how individuals treat different people differently based on factors such as gender, race, or class, intersectionality exhibits the element of biases against others consequently exhibiting the reason why it is understood to be an alternative means of stereotyping and portraying the aspects of oppression as well as discrimination. Moreover, as intersectionality incorporates various elements such as racism as well as sexism, such factors tend to rely on one another in addition to intersecting in essence.

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Therefore, by combining the aspects of reliance as well as essence, it resultantly creates an integrated system of oppression. For instance, an individual may question the reasons as to why the aspect of gender is described as a depiction of persecution or the reasons behind its consideration as an aspect of intersectionality. In such a case, treating the female gender as different beings from men is a way of oppressing women (Mitchell, 2018). Such a perspective can be traced several decades back into the history of the human race. Moreover, it has resulted in a universe where people share the belief that women cannot and are not supposed to share any titles held by men, such as the provider of a particular household. Customarily for decades, the responsibility of providing for the family has been viewed as a man's job and has consequently been emphasized from one generation to another.

Regarding the aspect of social philosophy, this write-up will focus on Marx, who developed the theory of human alienation. According to Marx, he argued that a society based on socialist principles was the definition of a just state. Based on his theory of alienation, Marx claimed that the aspect of capitalism was naturally exploitative (Mitchell, 2018). As a result of the exploitative nature of capitalism, Marx contended that it had caused workers to become alienated from their work, their lives as citizens as well as themselves (Mitchell, 2018). According to Marx, if an employee had the necessary skills in addition to the capacity to manufacture products, he/she would not have to endure a miserable life working for other people (Mitchell, 2018). Hence, the aspect of alienation being directly linked to depression motivated Marx to develop his theory of human alienation. An excellent example of isolation is that of an individual who might be required to inherit a family business which he/she is not interested. Regardless of being uninterested, such a person may take over the company to keep the family happy as that is what might have been expected of them.

Lastly, based on my perspective, the aspect of intersectional approaches to social justice can be likened to judging a book based on its covering. It tends to incorporate how humans view each other based on aspects such as race, class, or even sexuality, which amounts to discrimination (Mitchell, 2018). An excellent example is that of a Hispanic female experiencing discrimination at work, which might be due to the factors of race or even sexism. On the other hand, traditional approaches to social justice refer to the notion that all people should adhere to a particular set of rules and regulations (Mitchell, 2018). A good example would be the uneven regulation of laws by the government aimed at preventing discrimination, consequently ensuring equality across the board.

Reference

Mitchell, H. B. (2018). Roots of Wisdom: A Tapestry of Philosophical Traditions. Cengage Learning. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Za9EDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Mitchell,+H.+B.+(2015).+Roots+of+Wisdom:+A+Tapestry+of+Philosophical+Traditions,+7th+Edition.+&ots=B-nHpPl3Fp&sig=yliG1LXbZXAarEIgGW1i_V3LQg4&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false