Capabilities and social justice the political philosophy of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbuam

The capability approach to social justice construes a person's well-being in terms of the substantive freedoms people value. John Alexander engages with the rapidly growing body of literature on the capability approach in economics, inequality, poverty measurement and development studies. Critically assessing Sen and Nussbaum's work in normative economics, social ethics and political philosophy, Alexander develops a unified vision of the capability approach embodying the ideal of creating the greatest possible condition for the realization of basic capabilities for all. He then assesses this vision as a political theory arguing that capabilities are necessary but not sufficient for overcoming conditions of domination. The book calls for a more intimate relationship between individual liberty and the freedom of the political community as a whole. The Capability Approach In Perspective -- Sen's Critique Of Utilitarianism -- Forms Of Utilitarianism -- Hedonism -- Utilitarian Liberalism -- Actual And Rational Preferences -- Utilitarianism And Consequentialism -- The Logic Of Sacrifice -- Personal Integrity -- Consequentialism Versus Deontology -- Are Human Beings Rational Fools? -- Commitment And Plurality Of Motivations -- Adam Smith, Sen And Beyond Homo Economicus -- The Search For Alternative Paradigms -- Rethinking Rawlsian Justice -- The Core Claims Of Rawlsian Justice -- Who Are The Least Advantaged? -- Sen's Critique -- The Dependency Critique -- Rawls's Response -- Social Contract And Motivations For Social Cooperation -- Nussbaum's Critique -- Mutual Advantage Or Impartiality? -- The Liberal Scepticism Of The Good -- Similar And Yet So Different -- Towards A Capability Theory Of Justice -- Sen : The Capability Approach Defined -- Entitlements And The Political Economy Of Hunger -- Functionings And Capabilities, Achievements And Freedom To Achieve -- Well-being And Agency, Control And Effective Freedom -- Sen And Social Policy -- Nussbaum : The Capability Approach Philosophized -- Nussbaum, Aristotle And The Capability Approach -- The List Of Capabilities -- Anderson : The Capability Approach Democratized -- Capabilities And Democratic Equality -- Anderson Between Sen And Nussbaum -- Objections -- A Distinctive Non-welfarist Approach? -- Functionings Or Capabilities? -- A Sufficientarian Approach? -- Three Visions, One Theory -- Capabilities, Morality And Politics -- The Theory Of Broad Consequentialism -- Rights As Side-constraints -- Rights And Capabilities In A Broad Consequentialist Perspective -- Pluralistic Consequentialism -- Rights : Side-constraints Or Goals? -- Promoting And Honouring Values -- Rights, Consequences And The Market -- The Ethical Limitations Of The Market -- The Welfare State, The Minimal State And The Market -- The Moral Limits Of Consequential Reasoning And Trade Offs -- Neither A Prole Nor An Archangel -- The Question Of Individual Responsibility -- Freedom, Opportunities And Responsibility -- The Web Of Individual And Social Responsibility -- Dworkin's Account Of Responsibility -- Capability Deprivation And Failure To Insure -- Responsibility-test -- Social Norms And Policy Imperatives -- The Art Of Attaining Equilibrium -- Aristotle And Nussbaums Hybrid Theory Of Capabilities -- Aristotle's Naturalism Revisited -- The Two Concepts Of Nature In Aristotle's Ethics And Politics -- Nussbaum's Appropriation Of Aristotle -- Aristotle's Conception Of Justice -- Justice As Lawfulness -- Criteria For Distributive Justice -- Compassion As A Social Emotion -- Nussbaum And Aristotle On Compassion -- Justice Versus Compassion -- A Public Conception? -- Which Freedom? What Sort Of Public Reasoning? -- Some Unanswered Questions -- Capabilities As Positive Freedom -- Authoritarianism Or Real Freedom? -- Basic Income And The Capability Approach -- Capabilities, Value Construction, And Public Reasoning -- The Features Of Public Reasoning -- Capabilities As Content Of Public Reasoning -- Republicanism And The Capability Approach -- The Neo-roman Theory Of Freedom -- Freedom As Non-domination -- Conclusion: Beyond Liberal Justice. John M. Alexander. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [171]-180) And Index. This treatise on human capabilites and justice develops a systematic philosophical study of capability, focusing particularly on those claims and characteristics which can provide justification for it as an approach to social justice