Two theories of social justice

Abstract

The emphasis on the concept of ‘social justice’ in modern justice theory compared with the much broader reach of classical justice theory reflects a general shift in which justice theory has become more a concern of political philosophers than jurists. This article discusses two books that each advance a non-ideal modern social justice theory, namely Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? by Michael J Sandel and The Idea of Justice by Amartya Sen. The article first examines Sandel’s virtue-oriented theory in light particularly of the relationship between ethics and politics. It then provides an account of Sen’s justice theory, which is based in great part on his ‘capability approach’ to welfare economics. In comparing Sandel’s communitarianism with Sen’s transnational, cosmopolitan and pluralistic justice theory, the article emphasizes how both writers, like the vast majority of modern justice theorists, conflate the general idea of ‘justice’ and the specific case of ‘social justice’, which is but one form of what is termed classically ‘distributive justice’.