Current Societal Concerns about Justice pp 259-275 | Cite as
Tradeoffs between Justice and Self-Interest
Abstract
In his introduction to this volume, Melvin Lerner refers to Russell Hardin’s assertion (cf., Hardin’s chapter in this volume) that in the view of scholars, when confronted with the demands of real world considerations, welfare and self-interest in the form of mutual benefit invariably trump justice. In the light of the contributions to this volume let us now consider the various implications of this observation. Both justice and welfare are multifaceted concepts which include a variety of criteria rendering different perspectives on social problems. When these criteria are conflicting, one of them maybe given priority, even in circumstances where a tradeoff between different ones would offer the chance of a more adequate solution. Refering to the contributions to this volume I will comment on the multifaceted nature of these concepts, on the usefulness of differentiations both within and between the concepts, and various possibilities for reaching integrative solutions.
Keywords
Affirmative Action Procedural Justice Distributive Justice Social Construction Social Contract TheoryPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
- Ackermann, B. (1980). Justice in the liberal state. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
- Apel, K. O. (1976). Transformation der Philosophie. Das Apriori der Kommunikationsgemeinschaft. Bd. 2. Frankfurt: Suhrkamp.Google Scholar
- Buchanan, J. (1984). Die Grenzen der Freiheit. Tübingen: Mohr.Google Scholar
- Cohen, R. L. (1986). Membership, intergroup relations, and justice. In M. J. Lerner and R. Vermunt (Eds.), Social justice in human relations I (pp 239–258 ). New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
- Cook, K.S. & Emerson, R. M. (1978). Power, equity, and commitment in exchange networks. American Sociological Review 43, 721–739.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- Elster, J. (1992). Local justice. New York: Russel Sage Foundation.Google Scholar
- Etzioni, A. 1988 ). The moral dimension: Toward a new economics. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
- Griffith, W. I., Parker, M. J. & Törnblom, K.Y. (1993). Putting the group back into intergroup justice studies. Social Justice Reserarch 6, 331–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- Habermas, J. (1976). Moralentwicklung und Ich-Identität. In J. Habermas (Hrsg.), Zur Rekonstruktion des historischen Materialismus (S. 63–91 ). Frankfurt: Suhrkamp.Google Scholar
- Lerner, M. J. (1977). The justice motive. Some hypotheses as to its origins and forms. Journal of Personality 45, 1–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- Lind, E. A. & Tyler, T.R. (1988). The social psychology of procedural justice. New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
- Luhmann, (1975). Legitimation durch Verfahren. Darmstadt: Luchterhand.Google Scholar
- Mansbridge, J. J. (Ed.). (1990). Beyond self-interest. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
- Mansbridge, J. J. (1990). The rise and fall of self-interest in the explanation of political life. In J. J. Mansbridge (Ed.), Beyond self-interest (pp. 3–22 ). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
- Montada, L. & Schneider, A. (1989). Justice and emotional reactions to the disadvantaged. Social Justice Research 3, No. 4, 313–344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- Montada, L. & Schneider, A. (1991). Justice and prosocial commitments. In L. Montada and H.W. Bierhoff (Eds.), Altruism in social systems (pp. 58–81 ). Toronto: Hogrefe.Google Scholar
- Mulhall, S. & Swift, A. (1993). Liberals and communitarians. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
- Rawls, J. (1971). A theory of justice. Cambridge, MA: Belknap.Google Scholar
- Ruethers, B. (1991). Das Ungerechte an der Gerechtigkeit. Zuerich: Edition Interfrom.Google Scholar
- Thibaut, J. & Walker, L. (1975). Procedural Justice. A psychological analysis. Hillsdale, NJ.: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
- Tyler, T. R. (1990). Justice, self-interest, and the legitimacy of legal and political authority. In J. J. Mansbridge (Ed.), Beyond self-interest (pp. 171–179 ). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
- Vobruba, G. (1994). Die Faktizität der Geltung. Gerechtigkeit im sozialpolitischen Umbau-Diskurs. In L. Clausen (Hrsg.), Gesellschaften im Umbruch. Verhandlungen des 27. Kongreß der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie in Halle.Google Scholar
- Walzer, M. (1983). Spheres of justice: A defense of pluralism and equality. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar