The Elements of Justice (Paperback)

~ (Author) "When I survey the terrain of justice, here is what I see..." (more)
Key Phrases: promissory model, desert makers, wrongful transfers, David Miller, Census Bureau, Big Bang (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...(W)hat makes Elements of Justice so rich and compelling is that Schmidtz does not follow the dominant pattern of philosophical argumentation..."
Adam Kadlac, The Hedgehog Review

Product Description

What is justice? Questions of justice are questions about what people are due, but what that means in practice depends on context. Depending on context, the formal question of what people are due is answered by principles of desert, reciprocity, equality, or need. Justice, thus, is a constellation of elements that exhibit a degree of integration and unity, but the integrity of justice is limited, in a way that is akin to the integrity of a neighborhood rather than that of a building. A theory of justice is a map of that neighborhood.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (January 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521539366
• ISBN-13: 978-0521539364
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #596,137 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Defining a bit of the undefinable, May 2, 2006

By	John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Elements of Justice (Hardcover)

This week the state in which I live, Nevada, executed someone. Was he guilty? Probably, he was found guilty in a trial and then confessed. After some twelve yers on death row he quit appealing and asked to be executed. The comment of the children of the lady he killed were reported by the news as being thankful that justice had been served and closure brought to the situation. Today in the paper there are several articles wanting other people on death row to be executed.

Is this justice? Is it justice if the people executed are largely poor, minority and male? Or do the poor, minority males commit more crimes?

These and many other points about justice do not have easy answers. This little book attempts to present a theory of justice that covers these and many other points. In defining justice he discusses deserving, reciprocity, equality, and the philosophy of what has defined justice down through the years.

Excellently written, this is a book that makes you think.