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Justice, What is the right thing to do - Summary
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Summary of the book Justice Micheal Sandel. Including additions of presentations from the lessons of Justice of the minor Global Development Issues.
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Justice powerpointsSeminar 1 and 2: chapter 1
Ethics – the morally good and bad things in life
Morals – build up your life with your values
Where can we find ethics?
(Almost) everywhere! The moment you hear somebody is making a judgment it’s got something to
do with ethics. Pay attention when you hear words like: “honest”, “loyal”, “cruel”,”should”,
“human”, “prevent”, etc. etc.
There’re several possible points of view:
- From an economical position- how much does it cost?
- From a juridical position – is it legal?
- From a religious position – what does the god(s) say?
- From an ethical position – of which we will explore the most import ones more thouroughly
You can relate to these postions in two ways:
- In a normative way: we ought act in accordance with ethical convictions
- In a practical way: how to bring in practice?
Accountability: Who has responsibility?
- Individuals.
- Group responsibility
Duty and / or task to care for someone or something, Conditions of responsibility:
- One should be free to act.
- Have knowledge of a particular case.
- Have capabilities and skills to influence exercise.
Responsibility as a virtue: way of life.
Morals: philosophy of life. The morals are part of: the complete philosophy of life of an individual or
social group
Six key questions (the ideology):
1. What is important in life?
2. Who is man?
3. How people live with each other?
4. What is the meaning of suffering and death?
5. What is time? (Past, present, future).
6. What is nature?
Value conflict: when two or more values that are being pursued at the same moment collide with
each other. Values:
- Principles, purposes, general, make concrete by standards
Standards: certain, more or less binding expectations about behavior of people (derived from values)
- Behavior (expectations from others), agent, focused, derived from values.
Three types of standards: Relational, Professional, Audiences
,Bentham (1748-1832) is the founder of utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is about the greatest happiness for the greatest number. So:
- Try to avoid as much pain as possible
- Try to conduct as much happiness as possible
Trolley case: zo min mogelijk mensen ‘vermoorden’. Hij zou de man voor de trein duwen om 5
anderen te redden
Nozick (1938 – 2002) is an important libertarian philosopher
Libertarianism is about individual freedom
- People make their own choices and are responsible for themselves
- Taxation is a form of slavery: my possesions (time, money) are mine
- In law there is no place for morals
Trolley case: vrijheid in het maken van je keuze, maar je bent wel verantwoordelijk daarvoor. Hij zal
niet duwen, de werkers weten dat ze een risico kunnen lopen. Waarom zou hij ze redden?
Three approaches of justice:
1. Welfare (Utilitarianism and the free market)
2. Freedom (Deontology and Neo-Liberalism) Deon = Duties/rules
3. Virtue (Teleology) Tele = Goal/objective
Example
Situation: Price gouging laws (verbieden van het stijgen van prijzen tijdens rampen)
Against:
Welfare: Prosperity will thrive by working hard, the reward of making more money
encourages people to do so
Freedom: People are free to make own choices, government shouldn’t interfere
Virtue: People are allowed to disagree about things; no one could dictate others
virtues and vices
For:
Welfare: Society as a whole isn’t served by exorbitant prices charged in hard times
Freedom: Market is not truly free: people in need don’t have a free choice
Virtue: Greed is a vice, people who are trying to make advantage of other people’s
misery are bad
Should government intervene? Is a government allowed to make decisions about virtue? Should
government promote virtue of its citizens or be neutral.
Seminar 3: chapter 2
Utilitarianism: a historical sketch
Three views throughout the book: welfare, freedom and virtue.
Today’s philosophy: utilitarianism (as an important member of the welfare-view)
18th and 19th century:
- Time founding fathers lived and wrote theory of utilitarianism down
- Several revolutions (French, Industrial, Scientific)
- Morality as some kind of divine code?
, Utilitarianism is about the greatest happiness for the greatest number. So:
- Try to avoid as much pain as possible
- Try to conduct as much happiness as possible (maximalize)
Founding father 1: Bentham (1748-1832)
- In reaction to ‘natural rights’ or ‘natural laws’. If they existed: why would they be discussed?
- Human psychology: two masters: pain and pleasure
- The Principle of Utility or The Greatest Happiness Principle: whenever we have to make a
choice between alternative actions, we must choose the one that has the best overall
consequences.
Main idea: maximize happiness
- Right thing to do: maximize utility
- Utility: producing pleasure of happiness, preventing pain or suffering.
- End justifies the means
-
Examples
In Rome werden mensen voor de leeuwen gegooid voor andermans vermaak. Volgens
Bentham is dit rechtvaardig. Maar is dit wil eerlijk tegenover de individu?
Een boot zinkt en er zitten 4 mensen op: Kapitein en zijn succesvolle knecht, een man met
vrouw en kinderen en een hulpje, die wees is en geen vrienden heeft. Er kunnen maar 3 in de
reddingsboot. Ze kiezen voor het hulpje, omdat de minste mensen verdriet hebben als hij zal
overlijden.
Utilitarianism claims to offer a science of morality, based on measuring, aggregating and calculating
happiness. Can all values be captured by a common currency of value? No: Thorndike’s survey: how
much would you pay for…
Objections
Objection 1: individual rights?
Objection 2: A common currency of value? (het is niet zomaar een rekensom naar de beste
oplossing)
o Utilitarianism claims to offer a science of morality, based on measuring, aggregating
and calculating happiness
o Can all values be captured by a common currency of value?
Cost-benefit analysis
Founding father 2: John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
- Son of James Mill, a good friend and disciple of Bentham.
- An attempt to reconcile individual rights with utilitarianism (Harriet Taylor)
Central principle: People should be free to do whatever they want, provided they do no
harm to others.
Mill rests his case for freedom/individual liberty on utilitarian considerations
Response to the second objection:
- Pleasures can be distinguished
- Higher lower, Shakespeare or Simpsons?
His starting point is individual freedom. Respect individual rights and choices.
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