14 - Justice for Everyone, Everywhere?

Question 1

Oversights of justice

Answer 1

Political thought may overlook whole areas of social concern (e.g. Marx stating his theories in the eyes of European men),
justify oppression for ‘Justice’ (e.g. slavery being okay through the eyes of a pure utilitarian)

e.g. Mill rejected racism but accepted colonialism

Question 2

Who objects to skin colour, hair texture, etc. as grounds for excluding people from sharing in “the opportunities and privileges of modern civilization”?

Answer 2

Du Bois

Question 3

What is racism?

Answer 3

Permanent difference as the rationale for using power to treat other races unjustly

Question 4

What is anti-racism?

Answer 4

Challenging race as a category and challenging societies’ institutions and attitudes

Question 5

Two models for people with disabilities

Answer 5

1) Medical model: should be treated medically

2) Social model: society disables people

Question 6

What is cosmopolitanism?

Answer 6

• Human moral equality – must consider ourselves moral equals
• ‘Justice for all of us’
• National borders have no basic moral significance
• Proposal: extend principles of justice to the entire world
• Focus on the globally least advantaged

Question 7

What is nationalism?

Answer 7

• Common-sense view about duties to address global poverty
• Duties of justice apply within countries
• We know more about the problems within our own state as opposed to those outside of it
• National borders have a moral significance

Question 8

3 defences of justice

Answer 8

1) Societies: Schemes of social cooperation, justice = distributing cooperative surplus
2) Value of state membership: shared citizenship
3) Value of shared nationality: identity based on shared history, language, culture