Disregard. I don’t know how my Response got doubled.

Thanks for an informative little essay. For me, what is most important is that falsifiability separates beliefs (which I consider to be a form of knowledge, but ‘extra-rational’) from rational forms of knowledge. [To complete the thought, the “rational forms of knowledge” are ‘consensual’ (similar to pragmatism), which is where the social sciences are located, and ‘observational’, which is where the physical sciences are located.]

I thought you might find this interesting: I have developed an approach to justice that is falsifiable in Popper’s sense. I therefore call it ‘real justice’.

The ethic of real justice is in the form of observational rational knowledge. It follows from verifiable observations within material existence: we humans are social beings (we co-exist in organized groups we call societies), and as individuals and societies we have no choice but to effect choices (choose among perceived alternatives and take action towards bringing that choice to fruition).

So effecting choices is the ‘domain’ of real justice. Within that very large but finite realm of human being we must be governed by the ethic of real justice.

Justice requires that we respect all fellow human beings whenever any choice is being effected; we must respect their capacities to choose for themselves — beginning with choosing whether or not to be involved in that process. (Being “involved” includes being affected, not just ‘helping to make it happen’.) So the ethic of real justice is, most succinctly, mutual respect in effecting choices.

At a minimum, we must refrain from co-opting any other human being in that process. Whenever any choice is being effected anyone’s involvement in the process must be sufficiently informed and voluntary.

To abide by the ethic of real justice is to recognize others as fellow human beings within material existence. To do otherwise is to assert by one’s actions some status between ‘thee and them’ that is not verifiable within material existence. Since all of real justice is contained within material existence (its determiners and its referents), it legitimately de-legitimates going outside material existence — invoking beliefs — to justify violating its ethic.

Like any abstract ideal of human conduct applied to material existence, the perfect realization of real justice would be impossible to achieve. The point is that no human being effecting any choice can plausibly deny that this ethic is applicable to what one is doing.