A Short History of Distributive Justice

“A fascinating account of the development of our contemporary notion of distributive justice.” (Stephen Darwall, University of Michigan, author of Welfare and Rational Care)

Distributive justice in its modern sense calls on the state to guarantee that everyone is supplied with a certain level of material means. Samuel Fleischacker argues that guaranteeing aid to the poor is a modern idea, developed only in the last two centuries.

Earlier notions of justice, including Aristotle's, were concerned with the distribution of political office, not of property. It was only in the eighteenth century, in the work of philosophers such as Adam Smith and Immanuel Kant, that justice began to be applied to the problem of poverty. To attribute a longer pedigree to distributive justice is to fail to distinguish between justice and charity.

Fleischacker explains how confusing these principles has created misconceptions about the historical development of the welfare state. By examining major writings in ancient, medieval, and modern political philosophy, Fleischacker shows how we arrived at the contemporary meaning of distributive justice.

“Engaging and very readable . . . This is a marvelous book which should be read by all social workers.” —Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare

“An important book. . . . Highly original and interesting.” —Daniel Brudney, University of Chicago, author of Marx’s Attempt to Leave Philosophy

“A succinct, coherent, and wide-ranging history of distributive justice that will be a boon for teachers and students.” —Ross Harrison, University of Cambridge, author of Hobbes, Locke, and Confusion’s Masterpiece