Advancing Justice in Society: Reframing the Role of Education Through Systems and Complexity Theories

Key words: Educational justice, Complexity theory, Non ideal theory, Luhmann, Sen, Education. The aim of this article is to offer a new perspective on the form that distributive justice must take in order to effectively guide education toward creating a more just society. Drawing on systems theory and the study of complex adaptive systems, the article challenges the conventional view that distributive justice in education should be based on fixed and universal ideals. Instead, it proposes a more flexible and context-sensitive understanding of justice that responds to the complex nature of real-world settings. Engaging with Niklas Luhmann’s systems theory and Michael Walzer’s account of pluralism, the article suggests that different principles of justice may be appropriate for various educational contexts or institutional arrangements. It also addresses the philosophical implications of viewing continuous change as a central feature of education, arguing that the pursuit of justice in education should be seen as an ongoing and adaptive process rather than a fixed goal. The article then outlines two possible alternatives to the dominant conceptions of how education should promote justice. It first considers how systems theory informs our view when justice is treated as a fixed ideal, and then explores Amartya Sen’s context-sensitive and pluralistic approach, noting important affinities with systems thinking. The article concludes by proposing a revised normative framework in which justice is conceived not as a fixed endpoint but as an ongoing, responsive process shaped by complex and evolving conditions.