Abstract
In social justice theory, it seems both important, but also potentially normatively and metaphysically suspect, to treat social groups as units of normative concern. This is also the source of much current controversy surrounding social justice politics. I argue that normative individualism is a (correct) metaethical clarification, but not necessarily a binding guide for all other (non-metaethical) normative theory or practice in the way we might assume. Supra-individual social entities can, in fact, be the irreducible subjects of concern in valid normative evaluations or prescriptions, owing to future-relevant causal properties. However, this idea is complex and requires careful elucidation. I address likely objections pertaining to group definitions, social ontology, conceptions of causation, counterfactuals, and the non-identity problem.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 553-581 |
Number of pages | 29 |
Journal | Social Theory and Practice |
Volume | 48 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 4 Sept 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jul 2022 |
Keywords
- social justice
- social ontology
- normative individualism
- relational egalitarianism
- groups
- collectives
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Philosophy
- Sociology and Political Science