Social justice studies the distribution and redistribution of resources and people’s proper rights to social and economic goods within society. This course introduces some major philosophical theories of distributive justice, focusing on specific debates between Rawlsian liberalism and other schools of thought like utilitarianism, libertarianism, communitarianism and socialism. For example, while Rawls strives for a balancebetween rights, liberty and equality, libertarians emphasise choice and communitarians focus on social solidarity. This course explores the implications of these debates upon various concrete social issues, under the Hong Kong and global contexts, such as poverty, social welfare, wealth gap, discriminations, gender inequality, inclusive society, developmental and environmental issues, good governance, etc.  

This course incorporates policy and current issues into theoretical discussions. Special topics are incorporated from time to time to exhibit the wide range of perspectives on social justice. Flexibility in the choice of topics is allowed to reflect the expertise of individual course instructors, though some suggestions are made herewith.