The Philosophy of Residuals: Chapter 3 The Concept of Residuals

The concept of residuals

1 Why does it 'remain'?

In the previous chapter, we viewed justice not as a principle, but as
an activity operating within society.

However, there is an unavoidable issue here.

That is the fact that no matter what adjustments or improvements are made,
social problems are never completely resolved.

If you organize a system, new inequities arise.
If you protect one value, another is compromised.
If you solve one problem, another appears.

Why does this happen?

Is it merely a matter of technical immaturity?
Or is it simply that the optimal system has not yet been found?

This paper does not think so.

The fact that problems remain is not a coincidence,
but rather stems from the very structure of society itself.

2 Definition of residuals

In this paper, we define

problems or discrepancies that continue to remain even after adjustments or improvements have been made

in society as 'residuals'.

What is important here is that residuals are not merely failures or exceptions.

They are, rather,

• the diversity of values

• conflicts of interest

• differences in perspective

• temporal changes

arises inevitably from the fundamental nature of human society.

Therefore, a residual is

not an unresolved problem, but should be understood as
something that is inherently impossible to solve completely.

as such.

3 Residuals and Diversity

Postmodernism has clarified the importance of diversity.

However, diversity does not merely mean a richness of values.

It simultaneously means

that complete integration is impossible.

meaning.

As long as people hold different values, a society that satisfies everything simultaneously cannot exist.
For example,

For example

• freedom and equality

• safety and efficiency

• the individual and the community

Even if these values can be adjusted against each other, they will never perfectly align.

The gap that inevitably remains here is the residual.

In other words, a residual is

a
structural gap that arises inevitably as long as diversity exists.

that is.

4 The Three Layers of Residuals

A residual is not a single thing.
It appears in at least three layers.

1. Intra-personal residuals

Contradictions and conflicts exist within human beings as well.

Ideal and reality,
desire and ethics,
past and present.

People are not always consistent beings.
They live while harboring discrepancies within themselves.

2. Inter-personal residuals

Even in relationships with others, complete understanding is impossible.

The limitations of language,
differences in experience,
differences in values.

Due to these, discrepancies always arise between people.

3. Residuals as social structure

Residuals are inevitable even at the level of systems and policies.

A policy may save some people but bring disadvantages to others.
Systems aim for fairness, but perfect fairness cannot be realized.

These three layers interact with each other,
creating residuals throughout society as a whole.

5 Misunderstandings of residuals

The concept of residuals is easily misunderstood.

It is not about "leaving problems alone."
Nor is it about "avoiding responsibility."

It is quite the opposite.

Recognizing residuals means
accurately understanding the limitations of a problem,

and is a
more advanced way of taking responsibilityby attempting to improve it even after that.

When one attempts to deny residuals,
fundamentalism often emerges.

A principle that can explain everything,
a system that can solve everything.

Such ideas are attractive at first glance.
However, they also involve discarding the complexity of reality.

The concept of residuals functions as a brake against such fundamentalism.

6 Residuals and Time

Residuals are not static.

They change, accumulate, and reappear over time.

It is not rare for a problem solved in one era
to reappear in a different form.

Furthermore, what was once not considered a problem
may emerge as an important issue in a later era.

In other words, residuals are

a
dynamic structurethat persists while changing its form over time.

is.

From this perspective, the pursuit of justice is

not about resolving residuals once and for all,
but about continuing to face them over time.

7 Society Seen Through Residuals

From the discussion so far, society can be understood as follows.

Society is

a structure that continues to attempt integration
while generating residuals
amidst the intersection of diverse values and perspectives.

What is important here is
the point that integration and residuals are not in opposition.

As integration progresses, new residuals are born.
When residuals are recognized, new integration is attempted.

This cycle is the very movement of society itself.

8 Summary of this chapter

In this chapter, we introduced the concept of residuals.

A residual is not merely an unresolved problem.
It is a discrepancy that inevitably arises from the structure of human society.

And justice is not
the act of erasing residuals, but
the endeavor to continue facing them.

In the next chapter, we will examine how these residuals are structured within society
using more concrete models.