Why has Sidgwick's political philosophy fallen into oblivion while his ethics continues to be celebrated? Not because his performance in that field was inferior, nor because his choice of topics has become outdated, nor because his conclusions were largely conservative. Instead the problem stems from the weight he attached to common sentiments and beliefs in his application of the utility principle, illustrated by his treatment of topics such as secession and colonialism. Moreover hisElements of Politicsis arranged in such a way (...) that he never has to confront the basic question of what makes states legitimate. This means that neither political moralists, who want to see the utility principle applied in more radical fashion, nor political realists, for whom the problem of establishing political order is central, find much to commend in his political philosophy. (shrink)

This article explores, comparatively and critically, Sidgwick’s and Rawls’s reasons for rejecting desert as a principle of distributive justice. Their ethical methods, though not identical, each re...

The advent of the equality of capability theory, as developed by Amartya Sen, has brought about the radicalization of the conventional theories of social justice and development. Sen’s remarkable contribution in the field of developmental theories has paved the way for the reconfiguration and development of normative economics and political philosophy. With his insistence on humanizing development and focusing on the actual freedom of the person as the main criteria for development, Sen’s capability approach will be utilized as the moral (...) framework in assessing the government’s response measures to fight against COVID-19 pandemic. The global pandemic poses an immediate threat to both the poorest of the poor communities and to the health care sectors of society. Consequently, any response measure that the government should take must be directed towards sustaining both the socio-economic and healthcare objectives. It must help in enabling poor communities to sustain themselves during the entire pandemic; more so, it must likewise capacitate and strengthen the healthcare system in order to provide better services to the infected and to protect its healthcare front-liners. The crucial question of equality of capability among the poor and the front-liners will be examined by the paper using the capability approach theory in the context of the global pandemic. (shrink)