A Précis of on Global Justice, with Emphasis on Implications for International Institutions

Abstract

In an increasingly globalized world, philosophers have had to broaden their focus from what is a just distribution of holdings within a state to what is a just distribution of holdings globally. The traditional debate centers on whether distributive justice applies only at the state level or whether it extends to all human beings. The view I defend—which can be called “pluralist internationalism”—transcends this debate by acknowledging that multiple grounds of justice exist, so that in different contexts, different principles of justice apply. This Article offers a brief summary of my view, which is fully developed in my book, On Global Justice. After setting forth five grounds of justice, this Article examines which principles of justice apply to the state and to the World Trade Organization.