Vitalogical Theory of Justice

Abstract

I build on vitalism and argue for the vitality-based meaning of justice. This is a philosophical tradition that underlines the centrality of life in African communities. After presenting the central ideas of this theory, I abstract normative ethics in vitalism (vitalogical ethics). I further use this conceptualisation in elaborating the meaning of justice in vitalism. In this case, justice is about preserving a good quality of life. This notion of justice is broader as it also looks at other life forms, leading to a general theory of justice (for example, justice towards animals such as dogs, human beings, and ducks). While this tradition of vitalism is central in African thought, it is not more dominant as the communitarian approach. One possible interpretation is that the communitarians were more aggressive at promoting their views favouring African identity and unity. Nevertheless, vitalism has interesting insights, mainly in ethics, metaphysics, and theology.