Full Idea
It was the diagnosis of an intolerable injustice in slavery that made abolition an overwhelming priority, and this did not require a search for a consensus on what a perfectly just society would look like.
Gist of Idea
You don't need a complete theory of justice to see that slavery is wrong
Source
Amartya Sen (The Idea of Justice [2009], Intro 'Classical')
Book Reference
Sen, Amartya: 'The Idea of Justice' [Penguin 2010], p.21
A Reaction
This illustrates Sen's key points, that we should focus on injustices, which are obvious, and that designing a totally just society has little relevance to justice in practice (which is what matters). Well said.