The Just-World Phenomenon is associated with religiosity, conservatism, and negative attitudes toward underprivileged groups. This may help explain differences in social policy preferences ...

If the belief in a just world simply resulted in humans feeling more comfortable with the universe and its capriciousness, it would not be a matter of great concern for ethicists or social scientists.

I’m talking about the Just World Hypothesis, a scientific theory first developed by the social psychologist Melvin Lerner. Consider this clever experiment, conducted in 1965: ...