Political philosophy : a beginners' guide for students and politicians

pt. 1. Social justice. Concept v. conceptions : the case of justice ; Hayek v. social justice ; Rawls : justice as fairness ; Nozick : justice as entitlement ; Popular opinion : justice as desert

pt. 2. Liberty. Two concepts of liberty? ; Three distinctions between conceptions of liberty. 1. Effective freedom v. formal freedom, 2. Freedom as autonomy v. freedom as doing what one wants, 2. Freedom as political participation v. freedom beginning where politics ends ; Freedom, private property, the market and redistribution ; Resisting the totalitarian menace

pt. 3. Equality. The egalitarian plateau ; Equality of opportunity ; Equality and relativities : should we mind the gap? ; Positional goods ; Three positions that look egalitarian but aren't really. 1. Utilitarianism (or any aggregative principle), 2. Diminishing principles, priority to the worst off, and maximin, 3. Entitlement and sufficiency ; Equality strikes back

pt. 4. Community. Correcting misunderstandings and misrepresentations. Objection 1. Liberals assume that people are selfish or egoistic, Objection 2. Liberals advocate a minimal state, Objection 3. Liberals emphasize rights rather than duties or responsibilities, Objection 4. Liberals believe that values are subjective or relative, Objection 5. Liberals neglect the way in which individuals are socially constituted, Objection 6. Liberals fail to see the significance of communal relations, shared values and a common identity, Objection 7. Liberals wrongly think that the state can and should be neutral ; Outstanding issues. 1. Liberalism, neutrality and multiculturalism, 2. Liberalism and the nation-state

pt. 5. Democracy. What is democracy? ; Degrees of democracy. 1. Directness or indirectness of the decision, 2. Accountability of representatives, 3. Equality (of opportunity) for influence, 4. Scope of authority of democratic will ; Procedures and outcomes ; Is democracy paradoxical? ; Subjectivism, democracy, and disagreement ; The values of democracy. Intrinsic 1. Freedom as autonomy, Intrinsic 2. Self-realization, Intrinsic 3. Equality, Instrumental 1. Good or correct decisions, Instrumental 2. Intellectual or moral development of citizens, Instrumental 3. Perceived legitimacy