In this essay Rawls addresses two questions, one raised specifically by his theory of justice and the other a general and much discussed meta-ethical question. The specific question is, "To whom do the principles of justice apply?" or "To whom is justice owed?" The general meta-ethical question is, "What motivates us to act morally--i.e., to … Continue reading Rawls [5], “The Sense of Justice,” (1963)
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Deadwood, season one
I just finished watching the first season of Deadwood. I hadn't heard a lot about it before, but recently a colleague recommended it, telling me he liked it more than Mad Men. I know he's a big fan of Mad Men, so that was quite a compliment. I decided I should check it out. The … Continue reading Deadwood, season one
Petersburg “Grotesques”
Apparently in an attempt to salvage his now-ruined reputation, and also to maintain his spendthrift lifestyle, Dostoevsky wrote several shorter stories in this time period. I have nothing too exciting to say about them. They are at times funny, at times moralizing – mostly not boring. They feel much more like set-pieces designed to elicit … Continue reading Petersburg “Grotesques”
Is Ezra Klein on to something here?
Is he missing something?
Rawls [4], “Constitutional Liberty and the Concept of Justice” (1963)
When we last left Rawls, he was trying to identify the 'concept' of justice--that is, what it is we're attributing to a society when we call it 'just.' Rawls claimed that a 'just' society conforms to the two principles of justice--viz., (i) each person has an equal right to liberty consistent with the same liberty … Continue reading Rawls [4], “Constitutional Liberty and the Concept of Justice” (1963)
The Double
"With insomnia, nothing is real. Everything is far away. Everything is a copy of a copy of a copy" (Fight Club, script here). Frank reports that Dostoevsky’s second novel, The Double, was more or less universally panned. I find this strange, considering it’s clearly a work of much more sophistication and certainly much more experimental … Continue reading The Double
Rationality and Fantasy Baseball
Lately I’ve been thinking about rationality. Specifically, I’ve been thinking about the ways that economic models presuppose that individuals consistently act in their rational self-interest (and what economists count as a rational self-interest). Lately, I’ve also been thinking about my fantasy baseball team. I know that many OPers play or have played in fantasy baseball … Continue reading Rationality and Fantasy Baseball
The Petersburg Feuilletons
All over, people changing their votes, along with their overcoats, If Adolph Hitler were here today, they'd send a limousine anyway. -The Clash, "White Man in Hammersmith Palais" What, you may ask, is a “feuilleton”? Apparently it comes from French, but, what was surprising to me was it also passed muster with Word’s Spell Checker, which means … Continue reading The Petersburg Feuilletons
Translators
OK, I don't have any deep thoughts ready at hand for my inaugural blog post, just a question about a curious phrase I recently came across in a book. Well, not in the book proper, but in the front matter. So, I was idly browsing through the first few pages of the Penguin edition of … Continue reading Translators
Rawls [3], “Justice as Fairness” (1958)
In this essay Rawls investigates 'justice' as a property of social institutions (practices). What does it mean to describe an institution as just/unjust? He criticizes a utilitarian conception of justice, according to which an institution is just if it maximizes welfare, on the grounds that a social institution might maximize welfare at the expense of … Continue reading Rawls [3], “Justice as Fairness” (1958)
