Just world fallacy

{{hatnote | [[Panglossian]] redirects here.}}
{{religion}}
{{cquote|The world is full of injustice, and those who profit by injustice are in a position to administer rewards and punishments. The rewards go to those who invent ingenious justifications for inequality, the punishments to those who try to remedy it.|||[[Bertrand Russell]], ''Sceptical Essays''<ref>''Sceptical Essays'' by Bertrand Russell (2004). Routledge, 2<sup>nd</sup> ed. ISBN 0415325080.</ref>}}

The '''just world fallacy''', also known euphemistically as the '''just world hypothesis''', is a naturalistic fallacy that states that the consequences of all actions are predictable and deserved. This implies (although sometimes only subconsciously) a belief in some sort of [[woo energy | universal force]] that ensures [[moral]] balance in the world, in such a way that a person who exhibits good and [[moral]] behavior will eventually be rewarded, while [[evil]] and immoral actions will eventually be punished. It is both a concept in [[theology]] and considered to be a [[cognitive bias]] in [[psychology]]. It is summed up by the phrase "What goes around, comes around."

==Religion==
{{cquote|Imagine a world where the just world and {{wpl|fundamental attribution error}} were correct, and [[karma]] existed. Wouldn’t that be unspeakably tragic?|||Gwern<ref>https://gwern.net/epigram#misc</ref>}}
The just world fallacy is commonly seen in [[theology|theologies]] with some form of worldly reward system, such as in [[Prosperity Gospel]] beliefs. It is also present in [[Buddhism]], [[Sikhism]], and [[Hinduism]] in the form of [[karma]]. [[Gottfried Leibniz]], attempting to solve the [[problem of evil]], famously argued that since [[God]] is [[omniscient]], [[omnipotent]], and [[omnibenevolent]], that this must be "'''the best of all possible worlds'''."<ref>[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/leibniz-evil/ Leibniz on the Problem of Evil], Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy</ref> [[Alvin Plantinga]] has argued that there is no "best of all possible worlds."<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad9QuVSUqfk Is This the Best of All Possible Worlds?] PBS Closer to the Truth</ref>

A statement of [[Jesus]] in {{bible|Luke|13|4|5}} is often cited in opposition to the idea that people who suffer "got what was coming to them":

{{cquote|[T]hose eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in [[Jerusalem]]? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.}}

Another [[biblical]] example that would go against this idea (in some way) is the story of Job, who had been struck by one misfortune after the other, losing everything in the process, from his wealth to his family. He was accused of being a monster who deserved all this; otherwise, God would not have caused him all this suffering. Little did any know that it was all part of a cosmic bet between the Abrahamic deity and [[Satan]], all to prove that Job would remain faithful to God no matter what. In ''[[South Park]]'' Episode #506, "Cartmanland," Sheila and Gerald Brovlofski read this part of the Book of Job to Kyle Brovlofski, who was thoroughly disgusted by the thought of God raining misery on such a charitable and devout man just to prove a point to Satan.

==Psychology==
In [[psychology]], the just world hypothesis also goes under the name of "system justification theory."<ref>John T. Jost, Mahzarin Banaji, Brian A. Nosek. [http://www.psych.nyu.edu/jost/Jost,%20Banaji,%20&%20Nosek%20(2004)%20A%20Decade%20of%20System%20Justificati.pdf A Decade of System Justiﬁcation Theory: Accumulated Evidence of Conscious and Unconscious Bolstering of the Status Quo.] ''Political Psychology'', Vol. 25, No. 6, 2004</ref> Just world or system justification can be seen at work when people [[blaming the victim|blame rape victims]] because their [[slut|hemlines did not meet specification]] or define individuals who are poor as [[Social Darwinism| just lazy slobs]], otherwise they would have [[Rugged individualism|pulled themselves up by their bootstraps]] already. Belief in the just world fallacy is correlated with [[religion|religiosity]], [[conservative]] political orientation, and admiration for political leaders, but also an optimistic outlook and [[altruism]] in some cases.<ref>[http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v3n2/justworld.html The Just World Theory], Claire Andre and Manuel Velasquez, Markula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University</ref>

Some accounts associate two motivators underlying the "just world fallacy" The first is the desire to believe that all the good things one has are attributable primarily or solely to one's self, hard work, and superior character and morality. The second is a refusal to accept that bad things can happen to one's self and one's loved ones due to circumstances beyond control.

==Panglossianism==
{{rquote|right|Observe, for instance, the nose is formed for spectacles, therefore we wear spectacles. The legs are visibly designed for stockings, accordingly we wear stockings.|Dr. Pangloss<ref>[http://www.literature.org/authors/voltaire/candide/chapter-01.html Chapter 1 - How Candide Was Brought Up in a Magnificent Castle and How He Was Driven Thence]</ref>}}
Leibniz's concept of the "best of all possible worlds" was parodied in [[Voltaire]]'s ''Candide'' with the character of Dr. Pangloss.<ref>[http://www.penguinclassics.co.uk/nf/shared/WebDisplay/0,,214419_1_0,00.html Voltaire's ''Candide'' or ''Optimism''], A.C. Grayling</ref> Thus, the term "Panglossianism" is often used synonymously with the just world fallacy. However, it also carries the additional connotations of blind optimism or a conception of the world in which things are optimized for some purpose.

===In evolutionary biology===
{{main|Evolutionary biology}}
[[Stephen Jay Gould]] and Richard Lewontin famously used the term "Panglossian" to refer to a style of [[adaptation]]ist thought that overstated the power and prevalence of [[natural selection]]. They argued that what may appear evolutionary "design" may actually result from mechanisms other than natural selection or as a by-product of some other adaptation.<ref>Gould, S. J. And Lewontin, R. C., [http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/205/1161/581.full.pdf+html "The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique Of The Adaptationist Programme"], ''Proceedings Of The Royal Society of London, Series B'', Vol. 205, No. 1161 (1979), Pp. 581-598.</ref>

The faddish [[Gaia hypothesis]] promotes a [[teleological]] conception of [[evolution]] and the biosphere, seeing nature as a self-equilibrating system that optimizes [[Earth|the planet]] for [[life]].

The notion of teleology and [[progress]] in evolutionary theory is related to the [[equivocation|conflation]] of cultural evolution with [[biological evolution]]. The two were linked — as in the work of [[Jean-Baptiste Lamarck]] (1744-1829) — until [[Charles Darwin]] disputed the connection.<ref>[http://rationallyspeaking.blogspot.com/2011/04/evolution-as-pseudoscience.html Evolution as Pseudoscience?] [[Massimo Pigliucci]]</ref>

===In economics and political theory===
There is a noticeable strain of Panglossianism in [[laissez-faire]] [[economic]] theory. The notion that [[ethical egoism|people pursuing their own rational self-interest]] will [[Utopia|create an optimal society]] is a common one in this ideology. As Frederic Bastiat wrote, "All men's impulses, when motivated by legitimate self-interest, fall into a harmonious social pattern."<ref>Frederic Bastiat. (1850) [http://www.econlib.org/library/Bastiat/basHar0.html ''Economic Harmonies''], hosted at Library of Economics and Liberty</ref> This ties into the idea of markets as systems that tend toward equilibrium, full employment, and optimal allocation of capital and resources. Any "interference" in the market is considered a "distortion" of this self-correcting system. An extreme example of this is the [[Austrian school]] of economics. [[Adam Smith]]'s concept of the "invisible hand" is often invoked as the optimizing mechanism of the market, though this is a misrepresentation of Smith's own views.<ref>[http://econjwatch.org/articles/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand-from-metaphor-to-myth Adam Smith and the Invisible Hand: From Metaphor to Myth], Gavin Kennedy, Econ Journal Watch</ref>

As above, economic Panglossianism is often tied into the notion of progress and evolution. It also tends to come packaged with [[social Darwinism|Social Darwinist]] ideologies — [[Herbert Spencer]] was a well-known popularizer of said ideas. In more recent times, the ideology of techno-optimism, or "[[Cornucopianism]]", has adopted the Panglossian view. [[Matt Ridley]], for one, has advocated this viewpoint in ''The Rational Optimist''.<ref>[http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/culturelab/2010/06/matt-ridley-optimism-without-limits.html Matt Ridley: Optimism Without Limits], ''New Scientist''</ref>

It is also associated with [[biological determinism]], where the existing class and social structure is justified by appeals to the "innate" inferiority of the [[classism|lower classes]], other [[racism|races]], [[sexism|women]] or [[Homophobia|homosexuality]]. This is exemplified, for example, in the works of [[eugenics|eugenicists]] such as [[Francis Galton]].

===In popular culture===
Panglossianism has appeared as a theme in popular culture, including Charles Dickens' ''Great Expectations'' and ''A Christmas Carol'', Moliere's ''The Miser'', Fitzgerald's ''The Great Gatsby'', Orson Welles' ''Citizen Kane'', Herman Hesse's ''Siddhartha'', and even Steve Martin’s ''The Jerk''.<ref name=kay>[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/223444747_Panglossian_Ideology_In_The_Service_Of_System_Justification_How_Complementary_Stereotypes_Help_Us_To_Rationalize_Inequality Panglossian Ideology In The Service Of System Justification: How Complementary Stereotypes Help Us To Rationalize Inequality] by Aaron C. Kay et al. (2007) ''Advances in Experimental Social Psychology'' 39:305-358. doi:10.1016/S0065-2601(06)39006-5.</ref>{{rp|327-328}} This is reflected in themes that give redeeming qualities to the [[poor]] that balance out the avarice of the rich:<ref name=kay/>{{rp|328}}
{{cquote|A rather curious form of this admiration for groups to which the admirer does not belong is the belief in the superior virtue of the oppressed: subject nations, the poor, women, and children. The eighteenth century, while conquering America from the [[Native Americans|Indians]], reducing the peasantry to the condition of pauper laborers, and introducing the cruelties of [[Industrial Revolution|early industrialism,]] loved to sentimentalize about the "[[noble savage]]" and the "simple annals of the poor."|||Bertrand Russell<ref>[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.462628/page/n1/mode/2up?''Unpopular Essays''] by Bertrand Russell (1921) George Allen and Unwin.</ref>{{rp|80-81}}}}

==See also==
{{collist|2|
*[[Apophenia]]
*[[Cognitive dissonance]]
*[[Karma]]
*[[Protestant work ethic]]
*[[Prosperity Gospel]]
*[[Rationalization]]
*''[[The Secret]]''
*[[Texas sharpshooter fallacy]]
*[[Wanting it bad enough]]
*[[Naturalistic fallacy]]
}}

==External links==
*[http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/06/07/the-just-world-fallacy/ The Just World Fallacy], You Are Not So Smart

==References==
{{reflist|2}}
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[[Category:Apologetics and counter-apologetics]]
[[Category:Psychology]]
[[Category:Philosophy of religion]]
[[Category:Cognitive biases]]
[[Category:Morality and religion]]
[[Category:Fallacies]]

Categories: Apologetics and counter-apologetics, Psychology, Philosophy of religion, Cognitive biases, Morality and religion, Fallacies