Philosophy 401A
Advanced Topics in Philosophy: Global Justice
Michael Blake
miblake@u.washington.edu
Savery Hall 331F
Stephen Gardiner
smgard@u.washington.edu
Savery Hall 331E
Throughout most of its history, political philosophy has assumed that all normatively important
relationships happened within the boundaries of the state; only recently has the assumption been
challenged. Accordingly, much recent philosophical research has focused on how we might extend the
concept of justice beyond the paradigm case of fully cooperating members of a single political commuity.
We will be examining these extensions in a variety of areas, from the relationships between states to the
relationships between present and future persons.
This course is a seminar on some recent work in these areas. We will examine in particular three groups of
questions:
(1) What principles of justice apply to the global order? Is our current international economic system
just? What sorts of principled respect are due between political communities?
(2) How does the concept of justice apply to moral subjects whose membership in the political
community is not that of full political and economic participant? How can the disabled be
included within our considerations of justice? Can the rights of animals be understood through
terms of justice?
(3) Does the concept of justice apply to the relationship between present and future individuals? Do
the goods of individuals yet unborn have to be considered in present calculations? Is it possible
for us to use a discount rate in our understandings of such individual’s rights and interests?
These two areas on inquiry will form the backdrop both for our reading and for the essays students in this
class will write.
Our educational goals are twofold:
(1) To develop philosophical skills and techniques.
(2) To learn about philosophical issues underlying modern international political realities.
Sources
Two books are available for purchase at the University Bookstore:
David Miller, On Nationality
Martha Nussbaum, Frontiers of Justice
There is, in addition, a coursepack of readings available ot the Odegaard Library copy center.
Requirements
(1) Regular participation. This course is intended to be a seminar in philosophy; everyone enrolled in
the class is expected to participate. 10% of your grade will be determined by participation.
(2) Mutual respect.
(3) One set of three to five questions raised by the reading, e-mailed to the group by 5PM on the
evening before the class. Each student will choose one class for which they will be “on call”; for
that session, the student will write three to five questions raised by the reading. The questions can
be philosophical or interpretive in nature. 10% of your grade will be determined by these
questions. Evaluation will be based upon:
(a) Quality and rigor of argumentation
(b) Quality of written communication
(c) Ability to apply philosophical principles to practical political cases
(4) EITHER:
(a) Two essays, five to seven pages in length, one due November 7 by 5:00 PM, one due
December 11 by 5:00 PM, each essay worth 40% of your overall grade; or
(b) One essay, ten to fourteen pages in length, due December 5 by 5:00 PM, worth 80% of
your grade.
The latter option is discouraged for everyone except graduate students and fourth-year philosophy
undergraduates.
Tentative Schedule of Readings
Note: Readings marked with an asterisk are in the coursepack.
September 28
Introductory.
October 3
Peter Singer, “Famine, Affluence and Morality,” available at
www.utilitarian.net/singer/by/1972----.htm
October 5
John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (Cambridge: Belknap, 1971) 11-27, 60-83, 377382
October 10
Charles Beitz, Political Theory and International Relations (Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 1979) 125-176
October 12
Joseph Carens, “Aliens and Citizens: The Case for Open Borders,” The Review
of Politics, 49 (2) (Spring 1987 ) 251-273
Michael Blake, “Immigration,” in Christopher Heath Wellmand and R. G. Frey,
eds., The Blackwell Companion to Applied Ethics (Cambridge: Blackwell, 2003)
224-237
October 17
John Rawls, “The Law of Peoples,” in Stephen Shute and Susan Hurley, eds.,
On Human Rights (New York: Basic Books, 1993)
October 19
David Miller, On Nationality, 17-80
October 24
David Miller, On Nationality, 81-118
October 26
Michael Ignatieff, Blood and Belonging (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
1993) 19-56
October 31
Elinor Burkett, “God Created Me to be a Slave,” New York Times Magazine,
Oct. 12 1997
November 2
Martha Nussbaum, Frontiers of Justice, Chapter 1
November 7
Martha Nussbaum, Frontiers of Justice, Chapters 2-3
November 9
Martha Nussbaum, Frontiers of Justice, Chapters 4-5
November 14
Martha Nussbaum, Frontiers of Justice, Chapters 6-7
November 16
Stephen Gardiner. 2003. ‘The Pure Intergenerational Problem’, Monist 86, 481500.
Derek Parfit. ‘The Non-Identity Problem’. From his Reasons and Persons
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985), 251-79.
November 21
David Pearce, Giles Atkinson, and Susan Mourato. ‘Discounting’. From their
Cost-Benefit Analysis and the Environment: Recent Developments (OECD,
2006), 183-91.
Tyler Cowen and Derek Parfit. ‘Against the Social Discount Rate’. In Laslett,
Peter and Fishkin, James. eds. Justice Between Age Groups and Generations
(Yale: 1992), 144-161.
November 23
NO CLASS
[Thanksgiving]
November 28
John Rawls. ‘The Problem of Justice Between Generations’. From his A Theory
of Justice, section 44, 284-93.
Roger Paden. 1997. ‘Rawls’ Just Savings Principle and the Sense of Justice’.
Social Theory and Practice 23, 27-51.
November 30
de-Shalit, Avner. ‘Transgenerational Community’. From his Why Posterity
Matters: Environmental Policies and Future Generations (London: Routledge,
1995), 13-50.
December 5
James Lenman. 2002. ‘On Becoming Extinct’, Pacific Philosophical Quarterly
83, 253-269.
Nick Bostrom, ‘In Defense of Posthuman Dignity’, Bioethics 19, 202-14. 2005
December 7
Conclusion