Question

Legally speaking, toiling with records and evidence is called "spoliation" and is punishable as perjury and contempt. Too bad there’s no government around to enforce this kind of law. But this brings up an interesting question: What do you make of the fact that the government of Oceania seems to have no one to answer to? Do "laws" and "rules" lose their meaning in 1984? What about "Justice?"

Answer 1

In George Orwell's '1984,' the concepts of 'laws,' 'rules,' and 'justice' are distorted under an oppressive government, with no one to enforce or challenge the spoliation of records. This contrasts with modern democracies, where the Rule of Law establishes governments as entities accountable to the people and constrained by law.

Step-by-step explanation:

When considering the government of Oceania in George Orwell's 1984, it becomes apparent that traditional meanings of "laws," "rules," and "justice" are transformed under its authoritarian regime. The government appears to have unlimited power with no external accountability and engages in the spoliation of records and evidence to maintain control. This manipulation of truth and the lack of a higher authority to answer to implies that in Oceania's society, the Rule of Law has lost its meaning. Instead, power and control dictate what is considered legal and just, fundamentally altering the concept of justice as it is typically understood in a more democratic society where laws are meant to be applied equally and fairly.

In contrast to the world of Oceania, modern democratic societies aim to base their governance on the Rule of Law, implying that government is subject to and constrained by established legal frameworks, rather than the decisions of individual rulers. Consistent law enforcement, the establishment of justice, and accountability to the populace serve as the bedrock of such systems, contrasting with the oppressive, unquestioned rule depicted in Orwell's dystopia.