Since justice is often not done in the short run in human life on earth, either (1) justice is done in the long run-in which case there must be a 'long run,' a life after death-or else (2) this absolute demand we make for moral meaning and ultimate justice is not met by reality but is a mere subjective quirk of the human psyche-in which case there is no foundation in reality for our deepest moral instincts, no objective validity or justification for justice. The statement 'I want justice' only tells something about us, like 'I feel sick,' not about objective reality, what really is or what really ought to be.
The argument does not prove life after death simply and absolutely, but it shows what price must be paid to deny it: the price of moral seriousness. Once we stop believing that morality is nothing more than subjective feelings and wishes, once we reduce justice from a cosmic law to a private preference, we no longer see it as binding or fear to disobey it when it is inconvenient. As Dostoyevsky notes, 'If there is no immortality, everything is permitted.'"1
What do you think of the argument? Let us know in the comments!
Courage and Godspeed,
Chad
Footnote:
1. Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli, Pocket Handbook of Christian Apologetics, p. 92.
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