Why Social Justice Matters

by Barry, Brian

• ISBN13: 9780745629933
• ISBN10: 0745629938
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-03-04
• Publisher: Polity

Summary

In the past twenty years, social injustice has increased enormously in Britain and the United States, regardless of the party in power. At the same time, the idea of social justice itself has been subverted, as the mantras of personal responsibility and equal opportunity have been employed as an excuse for doing nothing about the enrichment of the few at the expense of the many and for making ever harsher demands on the poor and vulnerable.With grace and wit, Brian Barry exposes the shoddy logic and distortion of reality that underpins this ideology. Once we understand the role of the social structure in limiting options, we have to recognize that really putting into practice ideas such as equal opportunity and personal responsibility would require a fundamental transformation of almost all existing institutions.Barry argues that only if inequalities of wealth and income are kept within a narrow range can equal prospects for education, health and autonomy be realized. He proposes a number of policies to achieve a more equal society and argues that they are economically feasible. But are they politically possible?The apparent stability of the status quo is delusory, he responds: radical changes in our way of life are unavoidable. Whether these changes are for better or for worse depends partly on the availability of a coherent set of principles and a programme flowing from them that is capable of mobilizing the growing discontent with business as usual. That is, ultimately, why social justice matters.

Author Biography

Brian Barry is Lieber Professor of Political Philosophy at Columbia University.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
PART I Social Justis: The Basics
1. Why We Need a Theory	3	(11)
2. The Machinery of Social Injustice	14	(13)
3. The Scope of Social Justice	27	(10)
PART II Equality of Opportunity
4. Why Equal Opportunity?	37	(9)
5. Education	46	(24)
6. Health	70	(25)
7. The Making of the Black Gulag	95	(14)
PART III What's Wrong with Meritocracy?
8. The Idea of Meritocracy	109	(8)
9. The Abuse of Science	117
PART IV The Cult of Personal Responsibility
10. Responsibility versus Equality?	131	(11)
11. Rights and Responsibilities	142	(12)
12. Irresponsible Societies	154	(15)
PART V The Demands of Social Justice
13. Pathologies of Inequality	169	(17)
14. Wealth	186	(14)
15. Jobs and Incomes	200	(15)
16. Can We Afford Social Justice?	215	(18)
PART VI The Future of Social Justice
17. The Power of Ideas	233	(10)
18. How Change Happens	243	(8)
19. Meltdown?	251	(10)
20. Justice or Bust	261	(13)
Notes	274	(37)
Index	311