PHILOSOPHY 364
Political Philosophy
Exam Notes
Compiled by Shannon Stodel- please do not distribute
,Contents
WEEK 1: Introduction and Justice as Fairness ........................................................................................ 3
What is political philosophy about?...................................................................................................... 3
Part one: Theories of Justice ............................................................................................................... 4
Part 2: Problems of Justice ................................................................................................................. 4
WEEK 2: Justice as fairness (cont.) ........................................................................................................ 8
L4: The Original Position ..................................................................................................................... 8
L5: The principles of justice ................................................................................................................ 9
L6: Takeaways ................................................................................................................................... 10
WEEK 3: Justice as entitlement to holdings .......................................................................................... 12
L7: Justice as entitlement ................................................................................................................. 12
1. Initial Assumptions .................................................................................................................... 12
2. Private property and the minimal state ...................................................................................... 12
3. Principles of justice ................................................................................................................... 13
4. Historical vs patterned principles............................................................................................... 13
5. Redistribution vs freedom ......................................................................................................... 15
6. Nozick versus Rawls .................................................................................................................. 16
7. Evaluation .................................................................................................................................. 18
WEEK 4: Justice as complex equality (communitarian theory of justice) .............................................. 20
1. Initial assumptions ..................................................................................................................... 20
2. Simple vs complex equality ....................................................................................................... 20
3. Pluralism and social goods ........................................................................................................ 21
4. Domination and monopoly ......................................................................................................... 22
5. Tyranny versus complex equality .................................................................................................. 24
6. Evaluation .................................................................................................................................. 24
WEEK 5: Justice and capability .............................................................................................................. 26
Originators of the capability approach (CA): .......................................................................................... 26
2. Human functioning and social justice ........................................................................................ 28
2.1. Essential human functioning capabilities ............................................................................... 29
2.2. Essentialism and justice......................................................................................................... 30
2.3. Countering the criticisms ....................................................................................................... 31
WEEK 6: Capability and Ubuntu ............................................................................................................. 32
The capability and ubuntu approach .................................................................................................. 32
What is an ubuntu ethic? ................................................................................................................... 32
Applying an ubuntu ethic to capability ............................................................................................... 32
Evaluation .......................................................................................................................................... 33
1
,WEEK 7: Homelessness ........................................................................................................................ 34
1. Basic assumption and aims ....................................................................................................... 34
2. Types of property regime .......................................................................................................... 34
Possible objections ............................................................................................................................ 35
Blame liberalism and private property? ............................................................................................. 36
Conclusion and takeaways ................................................................................................................. 36
Takeaways ......................................................................................................................................... 37
WEEK 8: Reparations for past injustice ................................................................................................. 38
1. Basic assumptions and aims ..................................................................................................... 38
2. The case for symbolic reparations............................................................................................. 38
3. The case for full reparations I: Winding back the clock ............................................................. 39
4. The case for full reparations II: Appeal to property rights ......................................................... 41
5. Supersession of injustice ........................................................................................................... 41
6. Conclusion and takeaways ......................................................................................................... 42
STUDY RESOURCES .............................................................................................................................. 44
Quiz 1: Week 1 and 2 (Rawls and justice as Fairness) ...................................................................... 44
Quiz 2: Week 4 (Walzer and Justice as complex equality) ................................................................ 45
Quiz 3: Week 4 (Walzer and Justice as complex equality) ................................................................ 46
Quiz 4: Week 7 & 8 (Waldron and Homelessness, reparations for past injustice and supersession)47
2
, WEEK 1: Introduction and Justice as Fairness
Slides
What is political philosophy about?
1. Who gets what?
Distribution of benefits and burdens among members of society/ across societies
2. Says who?
Right to rule- legitimate political authority
Living in society brings with it advantages (benefits) and obligations (burdens)
Benefits: security, rights, freedoms, opportunities, security, income & wealth, services
Burdens: taxes, laws, punishment
What makes a particular distribution of benefits and burdens morally right (i.e. just)?
Normative (“ought”) rather than descriptive (“is”) question
Concerned with the moral reasons for distribution- but: no blueprint!
Problem of distributive justice arises under conditions of scarcity
“For what purpose make a partition of goods, where everyone has already more than enough?
Why give rise to property, where there cannot possibly be any injury? Why call this object
MINE, when upon the seizing of it by another, I need but stretch out my hand to possess
myself to what is equally valuable? Justice, in that case, being totally useless, would be an
idle ceremonial, and could never possibly have place in the catalogue of virtues.”
David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals Part III, 1751
When is a society just?
Aristotle: When everyone gets their due (formal principle of justice)
On what grounds do we decide what is due to anyone?
Possible candidates: equality, freedom, need, desert, ability, effort (input), productivity
(output), utility, supply & demand, brute luck
From the 19th century until deep into the 20th: distribution = utility maximization (Bentham and
Mill)
Utility = pleasure, good, happiness
Utilitarian theory of justice: benefits and burdens ought to be so distributed that it leads to
the greatest possible utility among the greatest number of people
20th Century: John Rawls: A Theory of Justice (1971):
Justice as fairness as an alternative to utilitarianism
3
Political Philosophy
Exam Notes
Compiled by Shannon Stodel- please do not distribute
,Contents
WEEK 1: Introduction and Justice as Fairness ........................................................................................ 3
What is political philosophy about?...................................................................................................... 3
Part one: Theories of Justice ............................................................................................................... 4
Part 2: Problems of Justice ................................................................................................................. 4
WEEK 2: Justice as fairness (cont.) ........................................................................................................ 8
L4: The Original Position ..................................................................................................................... 8
L5: The principles of justice ................................................................................................................ 9
L6: Takeaways ................................................................................................................................... 10
WEEK 3: Justice as entitlement to holdings .......................................................................................... 12
L7: Justice as entitlement ................................................................................................................. 12
1. Initial Assumptions .................................................................................................................... 12
2. Private property and the minimal state ...................................................................................... 12
3. Principles of justice ................................................................................................................... 13
4. Historical vs patterned principles............................................................................................... 13
5. Redistribution vs freedom ......................................................................................................... 15
6. Nozick versus Rawls .................................................................................................................. 16
7. Evaluation .................................................................................................................................. 18
WEEK 4: Justice as complex equality (communitarian theory of justice) .............................................. 20
1. Initial assumptions ..................................................................................................................... 20
2. Simple vs complex equality ....................................................................................................... 20
3. Pluralism and social goods ........................................................................................................ 21
4. Domination and monopoly ......................................................................................................... 22
5. Tyranny versus complex equality .................................................................................................. 24
6. Evaluation .................................................................................................................................. 24
WEEK 5: Justice and capability .............................................................................................................. 26
Originators of the capability approach (CA): .......................................................................................... 26
2. Human functioning and social justice ........................................................................................ 28
2.1. Essential human functioning capabilities ............................................................................... 29
2.2. Essentialism and justice......................................................................................................... 30
2.3. Countering the criticisms ....................................................................................................... 31
WEEK 6: Capability and Ubuntu ............................................................................................................. 32
The capability and ubuntu approach .................................................................................................. 32
What is an ubuntu ethic? ................................................................................................................... 32
Applying an ubuntu ethic to capability ............................................................................................... 32
Evaluation .......................................................................................................................................... 33
1
,WEEK 7: Homelessness ........................................................................................................................ 34
1. Basic assumption and aims ....................................................................................................... 34
2. Types of property regime .......................................................................................................... 34
Possible objections ............................................................................................................................ 35
Blame liberalism and private property? ............................................................................................. 36
Conclusion and takeaways ................................................................................................................. 36
Takeaways ......................................................................................................................................... 37
WEEK 8: Reparations for past injustice ................................................................................................. 38
1. Basic assumptions and aims ..................................................................................................... 38
2. The case for symbolic reparations............................................................................................. 38
3. The case for full reparations I: Winding back the clock ............................................................. 39
4. The case for full reparations II: Appeal to property rights ......................................................... 41
5. Supersession of injustice ........................................................................................................... 41
6. Conclusion and takeaways ......................................................................................................... 42
STUDY RESOURCES .............................................................................................................................. 44
Quiz 1: Week 1 and 2 (Rawls and justice as Fairness) ...................................................................... 44
Quiz 2: Week 4 (Walzer and Justice as complex equality) ................................................................ 45
Quiz 3: Week 4 (Walzer and Justice as complex equality) ................................................................ 46
Quiz 4: Week 7 & 8 (Waldron and Homelessness, reparations for past injustice and supersession)47
2
, WEEK 1: Introduction and Justice as Fairness
Slides
What is political philosophy about?
1. Who gets what?
Distribution of benefits and burdens among members of society/ across societies
2. Says who?
Right to rule- legitimate political authority
Living in society brings with it advantages (benefits) and obligations (burdens)
Benefits: security, rights, freedoms, opportunities, security, income & wealth, services
Burdens: taxes, laws, punishment
What makes a particular distribution of benefits and burdens morally right (i.e. just)?
Normative (“ought”) rather than descriptive (“is”) question
Concerned with the moral reasons for distribution- but: no blueprint!
Problem of distributive justice arises under conditions of scarcity
“For what purpose make a partition of goods, where everyone has already more than enough?
Why give rise to property, where there cannot possibly be any injury? Why call this object
MINE, when upon the seizing of it by another, I need but stretch out my hand to possess
myself to what is equally valuable? Justice, in that case, being totally useless, would be an
idle ceremonial, and could never possibly have place in the catalogue of virtues.”
David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals Part III, 1751
When is a society just?
Aristotle: When everyone gets their due (formal principle of justice)
On what grounds do we decide what is due to anyone?
Possible candidates: equality, freedom, need, desert, ability, effort (input), productivity
(output), utility, supply & demand, brute luck
From the 19th century until deep into the 20th: distribution = utility maximization (Bentham and
Mill)
Utility = pleasure, good, happiness
Utilitarian theory of justice: benefits and burdens ought to be so distributed that it leads to
the greatest possible utility among the greatest number of people
20th Century: John Rawls: A Theory of Justice (1971):
Justice as fairness as an alternative to utilitarianism
3
