Synopses & Reviews
Justice brings together in one indispensable volume essential readings on justice and moral reasoning. With readings from major thinkers from the classical era up to the present, the collection provides a thematic overview of the concept of justice. Moreover, Sandel's organization of the readings and his own commentaries allow readers to engage with a variety of pressing contemporary issues. Looking at a host of ethical dilemmas, including affirmative action, conscription, income distribution, and gay rights, from a variety of angles--morally, legally, politically--the collection engages with the core concerns of political philosophy: individual rights and the claims of community, equality and inequality, morality and law, and ultimately, justice. With concise section introductions that put the readings in context, this anthology is an invaluable tool for students, teachers, and anyone who wishes to engage in the great moral debates that have animated politics from classical times to our own.
Review
"Michael Sandel is one of the most popular and influential college professors in America. For more than twenty years, hundreds of students at a time have packed into a Harvard University lecture hall to hear his discourses on justice; and hundreds have streamed out feeling a surprisingly personal connection with their gifted teacher. This book reveals Sandel's secret recipe for enthralling students with timeless questions of law, justice, and morality in a decidedly contemporary context."--Anita L. Allen, Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School
"This thoughtful, stimulating, and convenient collection brings a range of classic moral and political philosophers--from Aristotle to John Stuart Mill--to bear on a range of contemporary controversies about justice. It invites readers to discover how their views on contemporary questions might be clarified, deepened and challenged by an encounter with enduring debates in moral and political philosophy."--Russell Muirhead, Associate Professor of Democracy and Politics, Dartmouth College
"This outstanding collection successfully blends historical and contemporary thought, on issues of theoretical and practical importance, to illuminate the main problems of justice. It is accessible to undergraduates in philosophy, with breadth and depth enough to engage the experienced philosophical reader hoping to rethink some central debates."--Michele Moody-Adams, Director and Professor of Ethics and Public Life, Cornell University
Review
"Michael Sandel is one of the most popular and influential college professors in America. For more than twenty years, hundreds of students at a time have packed into a Harvard University lecture hall to hear his discourses on justice; and hundreds have streamed out feeling a surprisingly personal connection with their gifted teacher. This book reveals Sandel's secret recipe for enthralling students with timeless questions of law, justice, and morality in a decidedly contemporary context."--Anita L. Allen, Professor of Philosophy and Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School
"This thoughtful, stimulating, and convenient collection brings a range of classic moral and political philosophers--from Aristotle to John Stuart Mill--to bear on a range of contemporary controversies about justice. It invites readers to discover how their views on contemporary questions might be clarified, deepened and challenged by an encounter with enduring debates in moral and political philosophy."--Russell Muirhead, Associate Professor, Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin
"This outstanding collection successfully blends historical and contemporary thought, on issues of theoretical and practical importance, to illuminate the main problems of justice. It is accessible to undergraduates in philosophy, with breadth and depth enough to engage the experienced philosophical reader hoping to rethink some central debates."--Michele Moody-Adams, Director and Hutchinson Professor of Ethics and Public Life, Cornell University
About the Author
Michael J. Sandel is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government at Harvard University, where he has taught political philosophy since 1980. He is the author of numerous books, including
Liberalism and the Limits of Justice,
Democracy's Discontent,
Public Philosophy and most recently,
The Case against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction: Doing the Right Thing
The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens (1884)(The lifeboat case)
II. Utilitarianism
Principles of Morals and Legistlation, Jeremy Bentham
Utilitiarianism, John Stuart Mill
III. Libertarianism
Free to Choose, Milton and Rose Friedman
Anarchy, State, and Utopia, Robert Nozick
The Constitution of Liberty, Friedrich A. Hayek
IV. Locke: Property Rights
Second Treatise of Government, John Locke
V. Markets and Morals: Surrogate Motherhood, Military Service
Tragic Choices, Guido Calabresi and Philop Bobbit
Battle Cry of Freedom, James M. McPherson
"All Go Down Together", James Traub
In the Matter of Baby 'M' (1987)
In the Matter of Baby 'M' (1988, N.J.Supreme Court)
"Is Women's Labor a Commodity?", Elizabeth S. Anderson
VI. Kant: Freedom as Autonomy
Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant
"On the Supposed Right to Lie", Immanuel Kant
VII. Rawls: Justice as Fairness
A Theory of Justice, John Rawls
VIII. Distributive Justice: Equality, Entitlement, and Merit
A Theory of Justice, John Rawls
Anarchy, State, and Utopia, Robert Nozick
IX. Affirmative Action: Reverse Discrimination?
"Racial Discrimination or Righting Past Wrongs?", Richard Bernstein
Hopwood v. State of Texas (1996)
Grutter v. Bollinger (2003)
"Bakke's Case: Are Quotas Unfair?", Ronald Dworkin
"Double Reverse Discrimination", Jefferson Morley
"Proxy War: Liberals Denounce Racial Profiling. Conservatives Denounce Affirmative Action. What's the Difference?", Michael Brus
X. Aristotle: Justice and Virtue
The Politics, Aristotle
Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle
XI. Ability, Disability, and Discrimination: Cheerleaders and golf carts
"A Safety Blitz; Texas Cheerleader Loses Status", Sue Anne Pressley
"Honor and Resentment", Michael J. Sandel
"Sorry, Free Rides Not Right", Bob Ryan
"Keep the PGA on Foot", Tom Kite
PGA Tour, Inc. v. Martin (2000)
XII. Justice, Community, and Membership
After Virtue, Alasdair MacIntyre
Democracy's Discontent, Michael J. Sandel
Spheres of Justice, Michael Walzer
XIII. Moral Argument and Liberal Toleration
Moral Liberalism, John Rawls
"Political Liberalism", Michael J. Sandel
XV. Morality and Law: Same-Sex Marriage, For and Against
Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health (2003)
"Abolish Marriage", Michael Kinsey
"Law, Morality, and 'Sexual Orientation'", John M. Finnis
"Homosexuality and the Conservative Mind", Stephen Macedo
"Universalism, Liberal Theory, and the Problem of Gay Marriage", Robin West