Equality, Responsibility, and the Law

by Arthur Ripstein

Overview

This book examines responsibility and luck as these issues arise in tort law, criminal law, and distributive justice. In revealing how the problems that arise in tort and criminal law as well as distributive justice invite structurally parallel solutions, the author also shows the deep connection between individual responsibility and social equality. This is a challenging and provocative book that will be of special interest to moral and political philosophers, legal theorists, and political scientists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521584524
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	10/28/1998
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Law
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.34(w) x 9.33(h) x 0.91(d)

Table of Contents

1. Equality, luck and responsibility; 2. Corrective justice and spontaneous order; 3. A fair division of risks; 4. Foresight and responsibility; 5. Punishment and the tort/crime distinction; 6. Mistakes; 7. Recklessness and attempts; 8. Beyond corrective and retributive justice? Marx and Pashukanis on the 'narrow horizons on Bourgeois right'; 9. Reciprocity and responsibility in distributive justice.

Editorial Reviews

"Yields a wealth of insights..." Dialogue

"This is an excellent and challenging book that makes a significant contribution to our understanding of equality and responsibility." Colin M. MacLeod, Ch Jrnl of Pol Sci

"Arthur Ripstein's Equality, Responsibility, and the Law is a well written, well argued defense of traditional principles of criminal and civil law that is must reading for anyone wanting to understand the underlying structure of our legal practices. It represents an important contribution to the literature." The Law and Politics Book Review

"There is much to admire in Ripstein's work. The writing is clear and engaging. The philosophical analysis is first-rate. But I have to say what impresses me most is neither of these things. Rather, I admired Ripstein's ability to see the big picture, to connect arguments from political philosophy with issues in tort law and to fill in the lines between moral philosophy and the criminal law. This is an exciting book - a book that should be of general interest to anyone working in legal, moral, and political philosophy." Philosophy in Review

From the Publisher