On Justice: Philosophy, History, Foundations

Though much attention has been paid to different principles of justice, far less has been done reflecting on what the larger concern behind the notion is. In this work, Mathias Risse proposes that the perennial quest for justice is about ensuring that each individual has an appropriate place in what our uniquely human capacities permit us to build, produce, and maintain, and is appropriately respected for the capacity to hold such a place to begin with. Risse begins by investigating the role of political philosophers and exploring how to think about the global context where philosophical inquiry occurs. Next, he offers a quasi-historical narrative about how the notion of distributive justice identifies a genuinely human concern that arises independently of cultural context and has developed into the one we should adopt now. Finally, he investigates the core terms of this view, including stringency, moral value, ground and duties of justice.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. Apologia for Justice; Part I. Political Philosophy: 2. Political Philosophy as a Vocation: Seven Approaches; 3. Political Philosophy as a Vocation: Seven Approaches, Continued; 4. Global Thought: Political Philosophy in the World Society; 5. Global Thought: World Society, Cultural Imperialism, White Ignorance; 6. Half a Century after Malcolm X Came to Visit: Reflections on the Thin Presence of African Thought in Global Justice Debates; Part II. Distributive Justice: 7. Distributive Justice and the Great Tale of Humanity; 8. Origins; 9. Antiquity and Beyond; 10. Approaching the Present; 11. Global Justice; 12. Pluralist Internationalism; Part III. The Grounds of Justice: Philosophical Foundations: 13. Engaging Immanuel Kant and Ernst Tugendhat; 14. Value, Stringency, and the Frame-of-Human-Life Conception of the Political; 15. The Ontology of Grounds of Justice: Elaboration and Comparisons; 16. Grounds of Justice and Public Reason, Domestic and Global; 17. Duties of Justice; Epilogue on Justice, Politics, and the Meaning of Life: Confronting Carl Schmitt; Bibliography; Index.

About the Author :
Mathias Risse is Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Philosophy and Public Administration and Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. His research primarily addresses questions of global justice ranging from human rights, inequality, taxation, trade, and immigration to climate change and the future of technology. He has also worked on issues in ethics, decision theory, and 19th century German philosophy. Risse is the author of On Global Justice (2012), Global Political Philosophy (2012), and On Trade Justice: A Philosophical Plea for a New Global Deal (with Gabriel Wollner, 2019).

Review :
'What an achievement! By its panoramic sweep of time and space, historical epochs and alternative continental traditions, Risse's extraordinary book brings home the provinciality of the most previous philosophical accounts of justice. This is a work that dramatically raises the bar for all future attempts to explore this central moral and juridical ideal of our increasingly global civilization.' Charles W. Mills, Distinguished Professor, The Graduate Center, CUNY 'A grand synthesis of philosophy, social science, and history – and a deep meditation on justice and method, this book will richly reward everyone contemplating how humans should live together.' Leif Wenar, author of Blood Oil: Tyrants, Violence, and the Rules that Run the World 'Risse tells a tale – 'the great tale of humanity' – that is incisive, insightful, erudite, and philosophically fascinating. The book is a delight to read and a major contribution. Whether or not they ultimately accept it, political philosophers will have to grapple with Risse's 'grounds-of-justice' view.' Daniel Brudney, Department of Philosophy, The University of Chicago 'A magisterial model of reasoning about justice across cultures and borders. Risse elegantly engages with empirical as much as philosophical work. The result is a theory that combines universalist ambitions with a pluralist methodology. This is a work of reflective equilibrium at its widest aperture.' Eric Beerbohm, Professor of Government, Harvard University 'Those musing on whether a single idea of justice could transcend the limits of tradition and social context will find this book an invaluable resource.' J. E. Herbel, Choice