Feasibility constraints and the cosmopolitan vision

empirical reasons for choosing justice over humanity

Holly Lawford-Smith

pp. 137-150

in: Stanvan Hooft, Stan van Hooft, Wim Vandekerckhove (eds), Questioning cosmopolitanism, Berlin, Springer, 2010

Abstract

In the first part of this paper I address the choice between the principles of justice and of humanity as a way of grounding cosmopolitan proposals. I make a conceptual clarification about the humanity approach before giving an argument for promoting justice as the foundation of cosmopolitanism, drawing on work in moral psychology, economics and experimental philosophy. In the final part of the paper I give some reasons for being cautious about the conclusion of the practical argument.