Contents -- Introduction -- The Role of Political Philosophy -- The Question of Justice -- The Approaches to Justice -- The Relationship between Justice and Equality -- The Principles of Distributive Justice -- The Cohenian Critique of the Difference Principle -- Is the Cohenian Critique Justified? -- 1 The Rawlsian Theory of Justice -- 1.1 Justice as Fairness -- 1.2 A Fair System of Cooperation -- 1.3 Free and Equal Citizens -- 1.4 The Basic Structure of a Well-Ordered Society -- 1.5 The Original Position -- 1.6 The Principles of Justice -- 1.6.1 The First Principle of Justice -- 1.6.2 Justifying the Principles of Justice -- 2 A Meta-Ethical Theory: Cohen's Idea of Justice -- 2.1 Cohen's Thesis -- 2.2 The Argument -- 2.3 The Defenses -- 2.4 The Requirements -- 2.5 Challenges, Critiques and Replies -- 2.6 Pogge's Critique of the Cohenian Meta-Ethical Method -- 3 A Meta-Ethical Theory: Cohen's Rescue of Justice -- 3.1 Rescue of Justice from Constructivism -- 3.2 Weak and Strong Defenses -- 3.3 Illustrations -- 3.4 What is not Justice? -- 3.5 Objections and Replies -- 3.6 Justice Is Not the First Virtue of Social Institutions -- 3.7 The Justification of the Two Principles Is Not Contractarian -- 4 The Difference Principle -- 4.1 The Rawlsian General Conception of Justice -- 4.2 Justice as Fairness: The Second Principle of Justice -- 4.3 Fair Equality of Opportunity -- 4.4 The Interpretation of the Second Principle of Justice -- 4.4.1 The System of Natural Aristocracy -- 4.4.2 The System of Natural Liberty -- 4.4.3 The Liberal Interpretation -- 4.4.4 The Difference Principle within the Democratic Interpretation -- 4.5 The Argument for the Second Principle of Justice -- 5 The Rescue of Equality from the Rawlsian Theory of Justice -- 5.1 Cohen's Critique of the Difference Principle.

5.2 Rescue of Equality from the Incentives Argument -- 5.3 The Interpersonal Test -- 5.4 Two Readings of the Difference Principle: Rawls's Contradiction -- 5.5 Rescue of Equality from the Pareto Argument -- 5.6 Rescue of Equality from the Contradiction of the Difference Principle -- 5.7 The Cohenian Conception of Justice -- 6 Scrutinizing the Cohenian Rescue of Equality -- 6.1 The Cohenian Critique of the Incentives Argument -- 6.2 Challenges to Cohen's Critique of the Incentives Argument -- 6.2.1 Need for a Psychology of Egalitarianism -- 6.2.2 Legitimacy of Applying the Interpersonal Test -- 6.3 Removing Inequalities: Just or Unjust? -- 6.4 The Cohenian Critique of the Difference Principle -- 6.5 Analysis of the Cohenian Critique of the Difference Principle -- 6.5.1 Two Complementary Levels -- 6.6 The Cohenian Rejection of the Difference Principle -- 6.7 Examination of the Cohenian Rejection of the Difference Principle -- 6.8 The Legitimacy of the Move from Moral Arbitrariness to Equality -- 7 The Cohenian Alternative -- 7.1 The Rawlsian Move -- 7.2 The Cohenian Illustration of the Move -- 7.3 A Pareto-Improving Equality-Preserving Move -- 7.4 Scrutinizing the Cohenian Alternative -- 7.5 A Further Rescue of Equality: The Cohenian Reply to the Trilemma Objection -- 7.6 The Rawlsian Challenge to the Cohenian Alternative -- 7.7 The Rescue of Equality from the Basic Structure -- 7.8 Pogge's Defense of the Basic Structure -- 7.9 Scheffler's Defense of the Basic Structure -- 8 Disagreement on the Status of Principles -- 8.1 Principles in the Rawlsian Understanding -- 8.2 Principles in the Cohenian Understanding -- 8.3 Focusing on Fundamental Principles -- 8.4 Cohen versus Rawls -- 8.5 The Thesis -- 8.5.1 Theoretical Level -- 8.5.2 Practical Level -- 8.6 A Discussion of the Role of Facts.

9 Disagreement on the Status of Facts -- 9.1 Cohen's Search for Justice: What Is Justice? -- 9.2 The Cohenian Critique of the Rawlsian Constructivism -- 9.3 Two Complementary Cohenian Theses -- 9.4 Cohen's Reply -- 9.5 Cohen's View: A Socratic-Platonic View -- 9.6 Two Different Approaches -- 9.6.1 Two Different Questions -- 9.6.2 Terminology -- 9.7 Rawls's Question: "What Is a Just Social System?" -- 9.7.1 A Factual Question -- 9.8 The Meaning of Fairness -- 9.9 The Autonomy of the Rawlsian Citizens -- 9.10 Important Facts in Shaping a Just Social System -- 9.10.1 Facts about the Human Condition -- 9.10.2 Facts about Human Nature -- 9.10.3 Facts about the Political System -- 9.10.4 Available Facts in the Original Position -- 9.10.5 The Role of the Facts in the Stability of Justice as Fairness -- 10 Different Understandings of Justice -- 10.1 Different Treatments of Justice -- 10.2 Different Conceptions of Society -- 10.2.1 The Liberal Democratic Society -- 10.2.2 The Cohenian Community -- 10.3 Different Moral Feelings -- 10.3.1 The Rawlsian Sense of Justice -- 10.3.2 The Rawlsian Ethos of Justice -- 10.3.3 The Cohenian Egalitarian Ethos -- 10.4 The Role of Education -- 10.4.1 In the Rawlsian Conception of Justice -- 10.4.2 In the Cohenian Conception of Justice -- 10.5 Different Approaches to Social Justice -- 10.5.1 The Rawlsian Constructivist Approach -- 10.5.2 The Cohenian Conceptual Approach -- 10.6 Different Conceptions of Justice -- 10.6.1 Fundamental Principles of Justice -- 10.6.2 Rules of Regulation -- 10.6.3 Justice as Fairness -- 10.6.4 An Egalitarian Conception of Justice -- 10.7 Different Principles of Distributive Justice -- 10.8 The Cohenian Ethos for Personal Justice -- Conclusion -- References -- Author Index -- Subject Index.