Responsibilities For Reform: Essays on Addressing Systemic Injustice

This thesis contains two essays concerning systemic injustice which make the case that most members of society have an obligation to reform unjust systems that affect the lives of those around them. The first chapter contains arguments concerning who possesses these reformative obligations. I consider justice in a general manner and then argue that most members of a society have a responsibility to reform based on their social connections. I make the claim that victims of injustice have obligations to contribute to reform due to the unique perspective by which they know injustice. The second chapter establishes what actions individuals might take to satisfy their obligations to reform. I argue that victims can contribute greatly by sharing their experiences as testimony. If testifying is too demanding, I argue that victims can satisfy their obligation by practicing internal resistance. Bystanders to oppression can protest injustice to disassociate themselves from its harms.