S1115 Global Justice and Fairness beyond Borders. Fighting Hunger and Poverty
Today\'s world suffers from gross inequalities, and the ongoing process of globalization, despite its promise to bring prosperity to all, seems even to aggravate at least some of them. Initiatives by global organizations to fight hunger and poverty in developing regions, as., e.g., the millennium development goals, meet approval, but their success is doubtful and their details are often contested.
We may even grant that much has been achieved, and still emphasize that much more remains to be done.
Thus, while it is easy to agree on the desirable goals with regard to global justice, questions on who should shoulder which burden are harder to answer. This is, of course, to a large degree due to conflicting interests. However, to some extent it is also a consequence of conceptual difficulties surrounding the idea of global justice. Traditionally, justice is conceived as regulating relations between citizens within societies, while global justice has more to do with relations between societies. It is only in recent years that we find serious attempts to male headway towards understanding global justice by severing it from any specific society\'s institutions and arrangements. Up to now, however, these attempts have not led to any prevailing proposal, and different approaches come to different conclusions and conceptions. This, in turn, has implications for the assessment and evaluation of programs and initiatives which are developed and undertaken by non-governmental, international or global organizations.
The course will address the main problems concerning a robust understanding of global justice. Political issues and their economic aspects will be discussed in combination with the ethical aspects of global justice and a just world order. The aim will be to take stock of some of the more recent developments at the intersection of political science, practical ethics, and economics.\r\n
We may even grant that much has been achieved, and still emphasize that much more remains to be done.
Thus, while it is easy to agree on the desirable goals with regard to global justice, questions on who should shoulder which burden are harder to answer. This is, of course, to a large degree due to conflicting interests. However, to some extent it is also a consequence of conceptual difficulties surrounding the idea of global justice. Traditionally, justice is conceived as regulating relations between citizens within societies, while global justice has more to do with relations between societies. It is only in recent years that we find serious attempts to male headway towards understanding global justice by severing it from any specific society\'s institutions and arrangements. Up to now, however, these attempts have not led to any prevailing proposal, and different approaches come to different conclusions and conceptions. This, in turn, has implications for the assessment and evaluation of programs and initiatives which are developed and undertaken by non-governmental, international or global organizations.
The course will address the main problems concerning a robust understanding of global justice. Political issues and their economic aspects will be discussed in combination with the ethical aspects of global justice and a just world order. The aim will be to take stock of some of the more recent developments at the intersection of political science, practical ethics, and economics.\r\n
b) Learning Outcomes
\r\nThe course attempts to introduce students to recent philosophical debates on global justice. This includes an introduction to philosophical theories of justice in general.
\r\nRequired Preliminary Knowledge
\r\nNone
Syllabus
Evaluation
Readings
Evaluation
Readings