Eight Theories of Justice: Perspectives from Philosophical and Theological Ethics

by Karen Lebacqz, Matthew J. Gaudet

Overview

There may be no more urgent cry than that for justice—and no more frequent accusation than that of injustice. But what is meant when these terms are used? Since its initial publication nearly forty years ago, Karen Lebacqz's Six Theories of Justice has been the go-to guide for answering this question. But today, the matters upon which it touches are even more acute.

Eight Theories of Justice offers a major update and expansion of the earlier text. Together with coauthor Matthew J. Gaudet, Lebacqz presents the major alternative views of justice, including John Stuart Mill's utilitarianism, the contract system of John Rawls, the entitlement views of Robert Nozick, and the communitarian ideas of Michael Sandel. These political and philosophicalaccounts of justice are supplemented with analysis of major theological approaches: Pope Francis and Catholic social teaching, Reinhold Niebuhr and Christian realism, the Black liberation theology of James Cone, and Katie Cannon's womanist ethics. Each chapter introduces the major elements of each theory, presents the best critiques of each theory, and offers an assessment of their value for living justly in the modern world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798889834106
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	04/01/2025
Pages:	241
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Karen Lebacqz is professor emerita of the Pacific School of Religion, and former core doctoral faculty of the Graduate Theological Union. Karen's lifelong commitment to issues of social justice has taken shape in three primary areas: professional ethics, bioethics, and ethical theory. Her publications include more than six books, among them Six Theories of Justice, Justice in an Unjust World, Sex in the Parish, and Ethics and Spiritual Care. Her dozens of essays in bioethics, feminist ethics, and sexual ethics have been published in scientific journals, church magazines, and international contexts. In 2019 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Christian Ethics.

Matthew J. Gaudet is the director of ethics programs for the School of Engineering at Santa Clara University. Gaudet's research lies at the intersection of ethics with the social sciences, especially the application of ethics to the topics of war, the university, disability, and technology. He was a lead author of Encountering Artificial Intelligence: Ethical and Anthropological Investigations and a coeditor of three issues of the Journal of Moral Theology (on Artificial Intelligence, University Ethics, and Contingent Faculty).

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Utilitarian Challenge: John Stewart Mill

Chapter 2: The Contract Response: John Rawls

Chapter 3: The Entitlement Alternative: Robert Nozick

Chapter 4: A Communitarian Reframing: Michael Sandel

Chapter 5: A Catholic Option: Pope Francis

Chapter 6: A Protestant Stance: Reinhold Niebuhr

Chapter 7: A Liberation Rejoinder: James Cone

Chapter 8: A Womanist Voice: Katie Cannon

Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

Each chapter of this impressive volume sheds abundant light on the history, dynamics, and merits of key strands of ethical thought. Readers will encounter rich new connections between the major approaches to achieving justice and the deepest value commitments behind them, including revealing glimpses of the moral visions that have inspired their representative figures. Highly accessible and recommended for any audience. —Thomas Massaro, SJ, McGinley Endowed Chair in Religion and Society, Fordham University

In Eight Theories of Ethics: Foundations for Practical Decision-Making, Karen Lebacqz and Matthew Gaudet offer an accessible and pragmatic introduction to eight ethical frameworks that influence contemporary moral decision-making. This revision updates chapters devoted to well-known theories and, with chapters on communitarianism and womanist theology, widens the scope to welcome modern voices to the discussion. Lebacqz and Gaudet frame justice as a pragmatic dialogue, and this text invites readers to delve into the push and pull of the exchange of ideas. More than ever, justice is the essential dialogue for our time. Lebacqz and Gaudet have accomplished something rare—they have taken a favorite classic and have made it indispensable to the ongoing conversation. —Grace Chan Oei, director, Center for Christian Bioethics, Loma Linda University School of Medicine

As you try to imagine theorizing justice, test out these eight "fragments" and how Lebacqz and Gaudet have so astutely curated and interrogated them. While these eight must not be the only ones you engage in our wider, globally informed theoretical contexts, this text contributes a stimulating primer for such critical ethical discernment. —Traci C. West, author of Solidarity and Defiant Spirituality: Africana Lessons on Religion, Racism, and Ending Gender Violence

Karen Lebacqz and Matthew Gaudet have enriched this already wonderful book on theories of justice. Lyrically written and carefully considered, it has inspired decades of students in my seminars and remains one of the definitive and classic texts for the study of ethics. —Laurie Zoloth, Margaret E. Burton Professor of Religion and Ethics, University of Chicago

Eight Theories of Justice is exactly what students of philosophy and ethics need—lucid, cogent explorations of the most fundamental ways people understand and debate notions of justice. Lebacqz and Gaudet offer a highly teachable, clear, and engaging discussion of contrasting conceptions of justice, highlighting what some share and where they diverge. An essential resource for philosophers and ethicists alike. I continue to learn from Karen Lebacqz, and now Matthew Gaudet, as this work refreshes and updates a classic text and makes it incredibly relevant and useful in the present day. —Aana Marie Vigen, professor of Christian social ethics, Loyola University Chicago

From the Publisher