The Scope of Justice Dilemma

<p dir="ltr">What is the determinant of the scope of justice? Should rules of justice that regulate the interactions of the members of my society be extended to cover how such members interact with outsiders, entities that fall outside the boundary of my society? Two major approaches...

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Main Author: Elias L. Khalil (20518877) (author)
Published: 2025
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author Elias L. Khalil (20518877)
author_facet Elias L. Khalil (20518877)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Elias L. Khalil (20518877)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-04-23T00:00:00Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.1007/s41111-025-00289-z
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/The_Scope_of_Justice_Dilemma/28846688
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Economics
Applied economics
Human society
Political science
Philosophy and religious studies
Applied ethics
Philosophy
Injustice
Exploitation
Political vs. Social Community
Utilitarian Approach
Deontological/Contractarian Approach
Parfit's Repugnant Conclusion
Social Welfare Function
Rational Choice
Altruism
Rawls’ Theory of Justice
Species Membership Problem (the boundary problem
Animal Rights
Population Ethics
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv The Scope of Justice Dilemma
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Text
Journal contribution
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
text
contribution to journal
description <p dir="ltr">What is the determinant of the scope of justice? Should rules of justice that regulate the interactions of the members of my society be extended to cover how such members interact with outsiders, entities that fall outside the boundary of my society? Two major approaches—namely, the deontological/contractarian and the utilitarian—offer their answers. Although their answers differ, they are universal in the sense that they do not draw a boundary between the members of my society and outsiders. As a result, one answer is deficient while the other is non-feasible. The only possible answer is the “Average Principle”. The Average Principle means that the boundary of my society can expand as long as the average wellbeing (GDP/capita) of my society does not decline. However, the Average Principle faces its own problem: the Average Principle is contingent on one’s group membership—i.e., amounting to a parochial answer. That is, the Average Principle cannot be a universal response as the case with the deontological/contractarian and the utilitarian approaches. In effect, this paper finds that the scope of the justice question faces a dilemma. While the deontological/contractarian and the utilitarian approaches involve universal moral principles, one is deficient and the other is non-feasible. While the Average Principle reasoning is non-deficient and feasible, it cannot amount to universal moral principle. This paper finds that the scope of justice dilemma has no solution that is universal.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Chinese Political Science Review<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s41111-025-00289-z" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1007/s41111-025-00289-z</a></p>
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
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identifier_str_mv 10.1007/s41111-025-00289-z
network_acronym_str Manara2
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oai_identifier_str oai:figshare.com:article/28846688
publishDate 2025
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spelling The Scope of Justice DilemmaElias L. Khalil (20518877)EconomicsApplied economicsHuman societyPolitical sciencePhilosophy and religious studiesApplied ethicsPhilosophyInjusticeExploitationPolitical vs. Social CommunityUtilitarian ApproachDeontological/Contractarian ApproachParfit's Repugnant ConclusionSocial Welfare FunctionRational ChoiceAltruismRawls’ Theory of JusticeSpecies Membership Problem (the boundary problemAnimal RightsPopulation Ethics<p dir="ltr">What is the determinant of the scope of justice? Should rules of justice that regulate the interactions of the members of my society be extended to cover how such members interact with outsiders, entities that fall outside the boundary of my society? Two major approaches—namely, the deontological/contractarian and the utilitarian—offer their answers. Although their answers differ, they are universal in the sense that they do not draw a boundary between the members of my society and outsiders. As a result, one answer is deficient while the other is non-feasible. The only possible answer is the “Average Principle”. The Average Principle means that the boundary of my society can expand as long as the average wellbeing (GDP/capita) of my society does not decline. However, the Average Principle faces its own problem: the Average Principle is contingent on one’s group membership—i.e., amounting to a parochial answer. That is, the Average Principle cannot be a universal response as the case with the deontological/contractarian and the utilitarian approaches. In effect, this paper finds that the scope of the justice question faces a dilemma. While the deontological/contractarian and the utilitarian approaches involve universal moral principles, one is deficient and the other is non-feasible. While the Average Principle reasoning is non-deficient and feasible, it cannot amount to universal moral principle. This paper finds that the scope of justice dilemma has no solution that is universal.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Chinese Political Science Review<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s41111-025-00289-z" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1007/s41111-025-00289-z</a></p>2025-04-23T00:00:00ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.1007/s41111-025-00289-zhttps://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/The_Scope_of_Justice_Dilemma/28846688CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/288466882025-04-23T00:00:00Z
spellingShingle The Scope of Justice Dilemma
Elias L. Khalil (20518877)
Economics
Applied economics
Human society
Political science
Philosophy and religious studies
Applied ethics
Philosophy
Injustice
Exploitation
Political vs. Social Community
Utilitarian Approach
Deontological/Contractarian Approach
Parfit's Repugnant Conclusion
Social Welfare Function
Rational Choice
Altruism
Rawls’ Theory of Justice
Species Membership Problem (the boundary problem
Animal Rights
Population Ethics
status_str publishedVersion
title The Scope of Justice Dilemma
title_full The Scope of Justice Dilemma
title_fullStr The Scope of Justice Dilemma
title_full_unstemmed The Scope of Justice Dilemma
title_short The Scope of Justice Dilemma
title_sort The Scope of Justice Dilemma
topic Economics
Applied economics
Human society
Political science
Philosophy and religious studies
Applied ethics
Philosophy
Injustice
Exploitation
Political vs. Social Community
Utilitarian Approach
Deontological/Contractarian Approach
Parfit's Repugnant Conclusion
Social Welfare Function
Rational Choice
Altruism
Rawls’ Theory of Justice
Species Membership Problem (the boundary problem
Animal Rights
Population Ethics