Six Theories of Justice: Perspectives from Philosophical and Theological Ethics

by Karen Lebacqz

There may be no more urgent cry today than that of "justice" -- and no more frequent accusation than that of "injustice." But what is meant when these terms are used? Six Theories of Justice clarifies that question and offers major alternative answers. Dr. Lebacqz surveys three philosophical approaches to John Stuart Mill's utilitarianism, the "contract" system of John Rawls, and the "entitlement" views of Robert Nozick. These are followed by analysis of three theological that of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, of Reinhold Niebuhr, and of the liberation theologian Jose Porfirio Miranda. A comparison of the effectiveness of each approach in providing direction for facing and dealing with contemporary issues and situations adds to the usefulness of this volume. A lucid and well-structured introduction to recent thinking in social ethics.

Genres: Philosophy, Justice, Nonfiction, Social Justice, Law, Religion

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Jenai Auman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good primer that explores the intersection of philosophical and theological frameworks for justice. (5 stars meaning the book explains what it sets out to explain.)

[adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

as far as my professor knows, i finished all of this.

i found the section on liberation theology particularly interesting, and i think the author did a good job covering lots of ground in a concise way.

[Belle Meade School]

320.011

[Obi Anthony]

Fine

[Ashley Barksdale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard read

[Iyanuoluwa]

Great book

[Brynn Eaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stuff but so many words!!

[Sarah (TheLibrarysKeeper) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly I -had- to read the book because of a Religion and Social Justice class that I am in.

As I was reading I wanting the authors writing to get more clear and perhaps reflect the level of writing one would expect from someone who holds a doctorate - but it didn't.

While Lebacqz makes great points and does discuss each of the theories in some depth, I find her writing to be incredibly convoluted and difficult at best to read. She quotes all sorts of theorists without providing context for the quotes so its difficult to understand why they've been included if you haven't read them for yourself (most of which I've not even heard of).

That all being said, I'd like to read some of her other works to see if her writing has improved over time.

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good overview of utilitarianism, Rawls Theory of Justice, Nozick's libertarianism, US Bishops' letter, Niebuhr's Christian realism, and liberation theology. Each chapter summarizes one of the theories and then offers various critiques of it. Since I had read the primary sources on all of these theories except Nozick, I found the critiques most helpful.

[Ferrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lebacqz gives excellent summaries of six theories of justice--Mill, Rawls, Nozick, Catholic Bishops, Reinhold Niebuhr and Liberation Theology--and brief critiques. Her conclusion is helpful in explaining how the theories interrelate.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're interested in justice and social action, this is the book for you to form an intellectual and theological framework. Because we don't always know why what's right is right.

[Thi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to learn more about justice and social issues from a more rational and theological standpoint.

[Jordan McPeek]

A book I've hung onto from university days. Maybe I'll re-read it someday.