This is an archived course. A more recent version may be available at ocw.mit.edu.
Scales often represent Justice. (Image courtesy of Daniel Bersak. Used with permission.)
Prof. Joshua Cohen
17.01J / 24.04J
Spring 2006
Undergraduate
This course explores three fundamental questions about the ideal of a just society and the place of values of liberty and equality in such a society. Answers to the questions provided by three contemporary theories of justice: Utilitarianism, Libertarianism, and Egalitarian Liberalism will be examined. To assess the strengths and weaknesses of these theories, a discussion of their implications for some topics of ongoing moral-political controversy will also be covered.