He cites the example of minority youth who believe they don t have to work hard to excel academically, because they believe affirmative action will get them into college anyway. Justice is more a concept of the head than the heart. Justice is a value of force, a power often imposed on individuals from outside themselves. There is something harsh in it. Something almost arrogant, which says I have found the truth, the right, and I will force you to live by it.
Equity is close kin to justice.
It too is concerned with weighing and measuring, ensuring equal distribution of some good on two or more sides. And like justice, it is more a value of the head. Compassion is a different sort of value. Compassion is more a value of the heart. The roots of the word compassion mean to suffer with.