Current Societal Concerns about Justice

Book excerpt: What role does justice play in the formation of public opinion and the scholarly debates about contemporary societal problems? This insightful volume explores this question in its examination of such issues as protection of natural ecology and resources, gender inequalities, mass unemployment, and the intergenerational contract. Important chapters discuss the conflict between justice concerns and motives and other motivations including the common welfare, self-interest, and altruism. The book features problem sets that focus on how justice motives can be used to define and solve social issues.