ABSTRACT
This chapter argues rules out any simple and direct conceptual link between the principle that distribution ought to be proportional to need and the idea of justice. It discusses the duty of humanity-the obligation to work for the relief of suffering as an end-in-itself-is not only distinct from the duty to be just but may properly be regarded as at least on an equal footing. A more satisfactory picture of the relationships between need and justice emerges if we consider the ways in which need and merit are characteristically associated. However, even those who accept that there is a principle of humanity might argue that, because it is possible to apply this principle fairly or unfairly, it must therefore be regarded as, in some sense, a principle of justice. In fact formal justice has no relevance to the problem with which we are concerned, the formulation and justification of a principle of humanity.
