2003/11/01 by James Konow · 2 citations
Decision Sciences · Social Sciences · #Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics #Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies #Political Philosophy and Ethics
paper · doi:10.1257/002205103771800013
openalex publication_date 2003/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
No man during, either the whole of his life, or that of any considerable part of it, ever trod steadily and uniformly in the path … of justice, … whose conduct was not principally directed by a regard to the sentiments of the supposed impartial spectator, of the great inmate of the breast, the great judge and arbiter of conduct. – Adam Smith (1759) p. 357. This paper evaluates numerous positive and normative theories of justice in positive terms, i.e., in terms of how accurately they describe the impartial fairness preferences of real people. In addition, the paper proposes and defends an integrated justice theory based on preferences over four distinct and sometimes conflicting forces. These forces frame the analysis of the individual theories and inspire four corresponding theoretical classes: equality and need, utilitarianism and welfare economics, equity and desert, and context. This synthesis enables one to treat justice rigorously and to reconcile results that often appear contradictory or at odds with alternative theories.