nearjust

Nearjust is a theoretical construct used in normative ethics and political philosophy to quantify how close an actual outcome is to an ideal standard of justice. Rather than endorsing a single doctrine, the term covers a family of metrics that evaluate distributive outcomes against a predetermined justice baseline.

In formal terms, a baseline J* represents the ideal allocation of goods and opportunities. An outcome O is assigned a distance d(O, J*) by a chosen metric, such as L1 or L2 norms on the vector of goods, or a multi-criteria distance that includes welfare, liberty, and equality components. An outcome is described as nearjust when d(O, J*) is below a specified tolerance epsilon or when it falls within a defined equity-reducing region.

Nearjust is used to analyze policies and designs in both theoretical and applied settings. In public policy, it can guide resource allocation by privileging options that minimize distance to justice. In algorithmic fairness, it provides a framework for constraining models to yield nearjust outcomes relative to a fairness baseline, balancing efficiency with equity considerations.

Critics note that the concept depends on subjective baselines and metric choices, which can encode particular value judgments. They warn that focusing on distance to a baseline might mask important ethical priorities or entrench an unjust standard as a reference point. Proponents argue that nearjust offers a transparent, actionable way to compare outcomes and to articulate the trade-offs involved in justice-oriented decision-making. Related discussions connect nearjust to egalitarianism, sufficiency principles, and Rawlsian justice, among other theories.