Assignment 1: Philosophy and Social Justice
By Saturday, January 31, 2015 respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate topic in this Discussion Area. You should quote or paraphrase from specific pages in the course text to support your claims about philosophical ideas and concepts, using correct APA citation. Start reviewing and responding to your classmates and the facilitator as early in the week as possible.
Address the following in a three-page paper:
1) Identify some of the features and values you associate with a just society. For example, does it include access to quality education, basic healthcare, and housing? How involved should the national government be with local issues and personal decisions about healthcare and other issues? Is the opportunity for economic equality important regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, and so on?
2) Present an account of at least one social/political philosophy from the assigned readings with support from the course texts and online lectures that might achieve the values/features you identify. For example, you might discuss classical theories, social contract theory (including Rawls' veil of ignorance), Marxism, and/or feminist philosophy.
3) Explain how the theory would achieve the just society you envision.
4) Make comparisons between the just society you envision and the United States. You may need to do additional research to support the claims you make about social and economic conditions in the U.S.
5) Identify and explain an additional political theory that would take a different approach.