Frontiers of Justice
Disability, Nationality, Species Membership
Martha C. Nussbaum(Author)
The Belknap Press
Published on 1. January 2006
Book
Hardback
454 pages
978-0-674-01917-1 (ISBN)
Description
Theories of social justice are necessarily abstract, reaching beyond the particular and the immediate to the general and the timeless. Yet such theories, addressing the world and its problems, must respond to the real and changing dilemmas of the day. A brilliant work of practical philosophy, Frontiers of Justice is dedicated to this proposition. Taking up three urgent problems of social justice neglected by current theories and thus harder to tackle in practical terms and everyday life, Martha Nussbaum seeks a theory of social justice that can guide us to a richer, more responsive approach to social co-operation. The idea of the social contract - especially as developed in the work of John Rawls - is one of the most powerful approaches to social justice in the Western tradition. But as Nussbaum demonstrates, even Rawls's theory, suggesting a contract for mutual advantage among approximate equals, cannot address questions of social justice posed by unequal parties. How, for instance, can we extend the equal rights of citizenship - education, health care, political rights and liberties - to those with physical and mental disabilities?
How can we extend justice and dignified life conditions to all citizens of the world? And how, finally, can we bring our treatment of non-human animals into our notions of social justice? Exploring the limitations of the social contract in these three areas, Nussbaum devises an alternative theory based on the idea of 'capabilities.' She helps us to think more clearly about the purposes of political co-operation and the nature of political principles - and to look to a future of greater justice for all.
How can we extend justice and dignified life conditions to all citizens of the world? And how, finally, can we bring our treatment of non-human animals into our notions of social justice? Exploring the limitations of the social contract in these three areas, Nussbaum devises an alternative theory based on the idea of 'capabilities.' She helps us to think more clearly about the purposes of political co-operation and the nature of political principles - and to look to a future of greater justice for all.
Reviews / Votes
"Martha C. Nussbaum's impressive new book Frontiers of Justice can be easily summarized as Rawls meets Aristotle...Well-argued and beautifully written, Frontiers of Justice is an important, provocative and thoroughly admirable book, and will be essential reading for anyone interested in the concepts of justice and moral entitlement." - Mark Rowlands, Times Literary Supplement"More details
Series
Edition
Annotated edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge, Mass.
United States
Publishing group
Harvard University Press
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
Annotated edition
Dimensions
Height: 201 mm
Width: 169 mm
Weight
682 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-674-01917-1 (9780674019171)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Martha C. Nussbaum is Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics, Department of Philosophy, Law School, and Divinity School, The University of Chicago.