Description
Book SynopsisThe meaning of social justice remains obscure, and existing theories have failed to capture the way people in general think about issues of social justice. David Miller develops a new theory and argues that principles of justice must be understood contextually, with each principle finding its natural home in a different form of human association.
Trade ReviewAs with all David Miller’s work, a high level of scrupulousness marks
Principles of Social Justice. He remains unswayed by ideological and philosophical background noise—no mean feat with this topic—and, as always, displays a distrust of grand generalization. The exposition, lucid and wholly unpretentious, is a model of its kind. And the argument is impressively sustained throughout, with some particularly acute remarks about the role of luck in judgments of desert, and about the relevance of procedures to just outcomes. -- Glen Newey * Times Literary Supplement *
This groundbreaking book explores…how extremely divergent views about what is required to bring about justice might be reconciled when they stem from shared beliefs at a deeper level… This is a complex and ambitious book. Instead of proposing a normative theory of social justice, Miller illustrates how different principles are used in different social contexts. His theory of justice does more than simply report popular beliefs, however. It presents principles of need, desert, and equality that are philosophically coherent and blended together to form a cohesive theory. -- Dorothy Van Soest * Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare *
Table of ContentsPreface 1. The Scope of Social Justice 2. A Sketch of a Theory of Justice 3. Social Science and Political Philosophy 4. Distributive Justice:What the People Think 5. Procedures and Outcomes 6. Virtues, Practices, and Justice 7. The Concept of Desert 8. Deserving Jobs 9. Two Cheers for Meritocracy 10. "To Each According to His Needs" 11. Equality and Justice 12. Prospects for Social Justice Notes Credits Index
