The pursuit of the ideal

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Chapter 2 in Justice and Democracy, 2021, pp 30-65 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Chapter 2 provides an extended critique of a recent contribution to justice theory by political philosopher Gerald Gaus (2016). His book The Tyranny of the Ideal: Justice in a Diverse Society, takes issue with theories of justice that seek to lay down, once and for all, ethically charged rules or principles that guarantee ideal outcomes. I take issue with the manner in which he seeks to establish the pursuit of ideal justice as necessary to arrive at a Popperian-style ‘open society’ view of justice and counter his critique of Sen’s ‘climbing approach’, focussing on the analytical cogency of ‘ontological time’. I also critique Alan Thomas’ attempt in Republic of Equals to marry Rawlsian principles of justice with a republican conception, arguing that he does not adequately deal with the objective circumstances of justice in modern real-existing capitalist democracies.

Keywords: Economics and Finance; Politics and Public Policy Sociology and Social Policy; Sustainable Development Goals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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