Syllabus
SYLLABUS COURSE CONTENTS: Class
1. The plurality of the principles of justice and political anthropology as the point of departure of (most) theories of justice Class
2. Justice as virtue and justice as reciprocity (Plato and Aristotle) Class
3. Justice as respect for right (Stoics, Locke and Kant) Class
4. Justice as utility (Utilitarians) Class
5. Justice as fairness (John Rawls) Class
6. Justice as entitlement (Robert Nozick) Class
7. The Theory of complex equality and the 'spheres of justice' (Michael Walzer) Class
8. Communitarians on domestic and global justice (Alistair MacIntyre & Michael Sandel) Class
9. Capabilities and Global Justice (Amartya Sen & Martha Nussbaum) Class
10. Globalizing Rawls (Thomas Pogge) Class
11. Utilitarianism on Global Justice (Peter Singer) Class
12. International Justice and the Evolving World Order COURSE OBJECTIVES:The aim of this course is to introduce students to the theories of justice in society (social justice) and in international relations (global justice). While the necessary historical and philosophical background of the age-long struggle for social justice will be taken into account, the main focus of the course will be the contemporary debates about justice in domestic and international politics. Since “theories of justice” constitute the central part of the contemporary political theory, the ideas of some of the most influential political theorists of the 20th century will be discussed in the course of the semester, and the class readings will include fragments of some of the most important works of political philosophy of our times. Discussing various theories of justice, their relevance to the current political practice will always be considered (for example, by identifying how these theories of justice inform programs of various political parties and movements that are important part of the political scene in Europe and elsewhere. CLASS READINGS: All class readings will be uploaded in a PDF format on this webpage. They will be extracted chiefly from the following anthologies: Ethics: The Essential Writings (ed. Marino) Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings (ed. Perry, Bratman, Fischer) Philosophic Classics: From Plato to Derrida (ed. Baird) Philosophy and Contemporary Issues (ed. Burr, Goldinger) Philosophy: The Quest for Truth (ed. Pojman) The Truth about the World: Basic Readings in Philosophy (ed. Rachels) COURSE GRADING: Final Written Exam: 65% Final Essay: 35% Total: 100% GRADING SCALE: A = 91-100 % – excellent B = 81-90 % – very good C = 71-80 % – good D = 61-70 % – satisfactory E = 51-60 % – minimal pass F = 0-50 % – fail
Annotation
COURSE OBJECTIVES.
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the theories of justice in society (social justice) and in international relations (global justice). While the necessary historical and philosophical background of the age-long struggle for social justice will be taken into account, the main focus of the course will be the contemporary debates about justice in domestic and international politics. Since “theories of justice” constitute the central part of the contemporary political theory, the ideas of some of the most influential political theorists of the 20th century will be discussed in the course of the semester, and the class readings will include fragments of some of the most important works of political philosophy of our times. Discussing various theories of justice, their relevance to the current political practice will always be considered (for example, by identifying how these theories of justice inform programs of various political parties and movements that are important part of the political scene in Europe and elsewhere.