000 02971nam a2200241 a 4500
001 vtls000000814
003 VRT
005 20250102222810.0
008 081020s2005 enk | 001 0 eng d
020 _a074562992X (hbk)
020 _a0745629938 (pbk)
039 9 _a201402040051
_bVLOAD
_c201007271243
_dmalmash
_c200810281401
_dvenkatrajand
_c200810201154
_dNoora
_y200810201153
_zNoora
050 0 0 _aHM671
_b.B377 2005
100 1 _aBarry, Brian M.
_910147
245 1 0 _aWhy Social Justice Matters /
_cBrian Barry.
260 _aCambridge :
_bPolity,
_c2005.
300 _axii, 323 p. ;
_c23 cm.
504 _aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [274]-310) and index.
505 _aPreface..Part I. Social Justice: The Basics.Why We Need a Theory.The Machinery of Social Injustice.The Scope of Social Justice..Part II: Equality of Opportunity.Why Equal Opportunity?.Education.Health.The Making of the Black Gulag..Part III. What's Wrong with Meritocracy?.The Idea of Meritocracy.The Abuse of Science..Part IV. The Cult of Personal Responsibility.Responsibility versus Equality?.Rights and Responsibilities.Irresponsible Societies..Part V. The Demands of Social Justice.Pathologies of Inequality.Wealth.Jobs and Incomes.Can We Afford Social Justice?.Part VI. The Future of Social Justice.The Power of Ideas.How Change Happens.Meltdown?.Justice or Bust.Notes.Index.
520 _aIn 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.
650 0 _aSocial justice.
_9909
942 _2lcc
_n0
_cBK
999 _c3596
_d3596