New Book on G. A. Cohen's Egalitarianism

Distributive Justice and Access to Advantage
G. A. Cohen's Egalitarianism

Edited by Alexander Kaufman

(Cambridge University Press, 2014)

286 pages



Description

G. A. Cohen was one of the world's leading political theorists. He was noted, in particular, for his contributions to the literature of egalitarian justice. Cohen's classic writings offer one of the most influential responses to the currency of the egalitarian justice question – the question, that is, of whether egalitarians should seek to equalize welfare, resources, opportunity, or some other indicator of well-being. Underlying Cohen's argument is the intuition that the purpose of egalitarianism is to eliminate disadvantage for which it is inappropriate to hold the person responsible. His argument therefore focuses on the appropriate role of considerations regarding responsibility in egalitarian judgment. This volume comprises chapters by major scholars addressing and responding both to Cohen's account of the currency of egalitarian justice and its practical implications and to Cohen's arguments regarding the appropriate form of justificatory arguments about justice.

Contents [pdf] [preview]

Introduction [pdf] - Alexander Kaufman

Part I. Justice and Justification

1. The Fundamental Disagreement between Luck Egalitarians and Relational Egalitarians [pdf] - Elizabeth Anderson
2. Justice, Interpersonal Morality, and Luck Egalitarianism - Peter Vallentyne
3. The Egalitarian Ethos as a Social Mechanism - Joseph H. Carens
4. Justice and the Crooked Wood of Human Nature [pdf] - Adam Cureton
5. Facts, Principles, and the Third Man [pdf] - Lea Ypi

Part II. Justice and Equality

6. Equality and Freedom: Cohen's Critique of Sen - Alexander Kaufman
7. The Incoherence of Luck Egalitarianism - David Miller
8. What is the Point of Egalitarian Social Relationships? - Patrick Tomlin
9. Basic Equality and the Currency of Egalitarian Justice - Gabriel Wollner

Part III. Equality and Society

10. Why not Capitalism? - Richard J. Arneson
11. The Labor Theory of Justice [video] - Chandran Kukathas
12. Rescuing Justice and Equality from Libertarianism [abstract] - Serena Olsaretti

Alexander Kaufman is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Georgia. He is editor of "Capabilities Equality: Basic Issues and Problems" (Routledge, 2005).

See some of my previous posts on G.A. Cohen:
- G.A. Cohen (1941-2009)
- Podcasts from G.A. Cohen conference January 2009
- Cohen's book "On the Currency of Egalitarian Justice"