This first book in English by Serge-Christophe Kolm provides an overview of his far-reaching vision of distributive justice. Kolm derives justice from considerations of rationality. Justice cannot be defined by one all-encompassing principle or set of a few principles. It has the general form of an equality of individuals' liberties in a broad sense, with different applications and specific adjustments when several liberties conflict or when everybody prefers another outcome.Kolm describes the theory of justice and presents and evaluates each of the various modern theories, principles, or criteria of justice. He shows how some complement each other, how some are unworkable, and how some could be rescued. The result is an intensive introduction to the general theory of justice for economists and noneconomists alike.

This first book in English by Serge-Christophe Kolm provides an overview of his far-reaching vision of distributive justice. Kolm derives justice from considerations of rationality. Justice cannot be defined by one all-encompassing principle or set of a few principles. It has the general form of an equality of individuals’ liberties in a broad sense, with different applications and specific adjustments when several liberties conflict or when everybody prefers another outcome. Kolm describes the theory of justice and presents and evaluates each of the various modern theories, principles, or criteria of justice. He shows how some complement each other, how some are unworkable, and how some could be rescued. The result is an intensive introduction to the general theory of justice for economists and noneconomists alike.

Though the revised edition of A Theory of Justice, published in 1999, is the definitive statement of Rawls's view, so much of the extensive literature on Rawls's theory refers to the first edition. This reissue makes the first edition once again available for scholars and serious students of Rawls's work.

A renowned Harvard professor's brilliant, sweeping, inspiring account of the role of justice in our society--and of the moral dilemmas we face as citizens What are our obligations to others as people in a free society? Should government tax the rich to help the poor? Is the free market fair? Is it sometimes wrong to tell the truth? Is killing sometimes morally required? Is it possible, or desirable, to legislate morality? Do individual rights and the common good conflict? Michael J. Sandel's "Justice" course is one of the most popular and influential at Harvard. Up to a thousand students pack the campus theater to hear Sandel relate the big questions of political philosophy to the most vexing issues of the day, and this fall, public television will air a series based on the course. Justice offers readers the same exhilarating journey that captivates Harvard students. This book is a searching, lyrical exploration of the meaning of justice, one that invites readers of all political persuasions to consider familiar controversies in fresh and illuminating ways. Affirmative action, same-sex marriage, physician-assisted suicide, abortion, national service, patriotism and dissent, the moral limits of markets—Sandel dramatizes the challenge of thinking through these con?icts, and shows how a surer grasp of philosophy can help us make sense of politics, morality, and our own convictions as well. Justice is lively, thought-provoking, and wise—an essential new addition to the small shelf of books that speak convincingly to the hard questions of our civic life.

John Roemer has written a unique book that critiques economists' conceptions of justice from a philosophical perspective and philosophical theories of distributive justice from an economic one.

There may be no more urgent cry today than that of "justice" -- and no more frequent accusation than that of "injustice." But what is meant when these terms are used? Six Theories of Justice clarifies that question and offers major alternative answers. Dr. Lebacqz surveys three philosophical approaches to justice: John Stuart Mill's utilitarianism, the "contract" system of John Rawls, and the "entitlement" views of Robert Nozick. These are followed by analysis of three theological approaches: that of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, of Reinhold Niebuhr, and of the liberation theologian Jose Porfirio Miranda. A comparison of the effectiveness of each approach in providing direction for facing and dealing with contemporary issues and situations adds to the usefulness of this volume. A lucid and well-structured introduction to recent thinking in social ethics.

"Human beings are a part of nature and apart from it." The argument of Natural Law and Justice is that the philosophy of natural law and contemporary theories about the nature of justice are both efforts to make sense of the fundamental paradox of human experience: individual freedom and responsibility in a causally determined universe. Professor Weinreb restores the original understanding of natural law as a philosophy about the place of humankind in nature. He traces the natural law tradition from its origins in Greek speculation through its classic Christian statement by Thomas Aquinas. He goes on to show how the social contract theorists adapted the idea of natural law to provide for political obligation in civil society and how the idea was transformed in Kant's account of human freedom. He brings the historical narrative down to the present with a discussion of the contemporary debate between natural law and legal positivism, including particularly the natural law theories of Finnis, Richards, and Dworkin. Professor Weinreb then adopts the approach of modern political philosophy to develop the idea of justice as a union of the distinct ideas of desert and entitlement. He shows liberty and equality to be the political analogues of desert and entitlement and both pairs to be the normative equivalents of freedom and cause. In this part of the book, Weinreb considers the theories of justice of Rawls and Nozick as well as the communitarian theory of Maclntyre and Sandel. The conclusion brings the debates about natural law and justice together, as parallel efforts to understand the human condition. This original contribution to legal philosophy will be especially appreciated by scholars, teachers, and students in the fields of political philosophy, legal philosophy, and the law generally.