Spheres of Justice

Spheres of Justice: A Defense of Pluralism and Equality

Author	Michael Walzer
Language	English
Subject	Complex equality
Publisher	Basic Books
Publication date	1983
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print
ISBN	0-465-08189-4

Spheres of Justice: A Defense of Pluralism and Equality is a 1983 book by the philosopher Michael Walzer.

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Walzer explores the concept of distributive justice, which concerns the fair allocation of goods and resources in society. He argues against the idea of a single universal principle of justice that can be applied uniformly across all spheres of life. Instead, he suggests that different social goods should be distributed according to different principles, taking into account the specific characteristics and values of each sphere.^[1]

Walzer argues in favour of an idea he calls "complex equality", and against the view that goods with different meaning and content can be lumped together into the larger category of primary goods, as is advocated by John Rawls, in his A Theory of Justice (1971). According to Walzer, each sphere has its own internal logic and should be governed by distinct principles of distribution that reflect the particular goods and values at stake.

Spheres of Justice has, together with Just and Unjust Wars (1977) and Interpretation and Social Criticism (1987), been identified as one of Walzer's most important works by the philosopher Will Kymlicka.^[2]

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