Philosophy 178z: Inequality

Fall 2020

Location and Time: Online, twice weekly for one hour in small groups, meeting times tbd

Instructor: Lucas Stanczyk, stanczyk@fas.harvard.edu

Teaching Fellow: Heather Spradley, h_spradley@g.harvard.edu
Teaching Fellow: Malcolm Morano, mmorano@g.harvard.edu

Course Description
Growing economic inequality is said to be one of the defining challenges of our time. In this
class, we will consider some of the main problems thought to be raised by inequality through the
lens of several systematic ways of thinking about social justice. Topics to be addressed include
inequality of income and wealth, inequality of opportunity, gender and racial inequality,
unemployment and poverty, unauthorized migration, authority in the workplace, threats to
democratic institutions and the fairness of elections. Special attention will be paid to Rawls’s
liberal theory of justice and its critics.

Format
In 2020-21, the course will have a hybrid structure. Lecture materials and recordings will be
made available online for asynchronous study, and students will attend live classes in small
groups for 1 hour twice a week with the instructors. To accommodate an appropriate variety of
time zones, the meeting times of the live classes will be scheduled after students express interest
in enrollment.

The class will have a flipped lecture & discussion format. Students are asked to read the assigned
readings with care at least once before engaging with the lectures. Lectures will often introduce
new concepts and material, for which a basic grasp on the day’s readings will be essential. In
turn, class discussions will move beyond the readings and the lectures. Your advance preparation
will therefore be very important. For each lecture and discussion, I will also draw on the
supplemental readings labeled “also relevant.” You are not expected to read these readings in
advance, though you may find them interesting and helpful for writing your papers.

Prerequisites
There are no formal prerequisites. However, this course is an intermediate-level course in
political philosophy, designed to be suitable for both graduates and undergraduates. It is assumed
that undergraduates will have some prior exposure to ethics, political theory or political
philosophy, and that graduate students from fields other than political theory or philosophy will
be prepared to do additional background reading as necessary.

Requirements for Undergraduate Students

Two 7-8 page papers (worth 30% each), two shorter writing assignments of 2-3 pages (worth 15%
each), and active participation in class discussions (worth 10% of the final grade). The writing
assignments will be designed to provide you with feedback on your ideas and philosophical
writing and should help you with writing the papers. The writing assignments will be due at 5pm
on Sep 30 and Nov 9. The papers are due at 5pm on Oct 12 and Dec 2. Topics for all assignments
will be distributed two weeks in advance.
Requirements for Graduate Students
Graduate students may choose to replace the above writing requirements with a single research
paper of seminar length and quality. Students who intend to take this option should submit a short
1-2 page paper proposal to me by email not later than Mon, Nov 2. Unless we have alternative
arrangements, the seminar paper is due on the last day of fall term, Wed, Dec 2.

Policy on Extensions
Requests for an extension should be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the deadline. If you
are unable to meet the deadline for a weighty reason, the teaching staff will work with you to find
a reasonable accommodation.

Collaboration Policy
Discussion and the exchange of ideas are essential to academic work and to philosophy in
particular. For writing assignments in this course, you are encouraged to consult with your
classmates regarding paper topics, to discuss readings and arguments, and to share insights. You
may also find it useful to discuss an outline of your paper with one or more of your peers,
particularly if you are working on the same topic. However, you should ensure that any written
work you submit for evaluation is the result of your own research and writing and that it reflects
your own ideas and approach to the topic. You must also adhere to standard citation practices
and properly cite any sources that have helped you with your work. If you received help with
your writing, such as feedback on drafts, you must acknowledge this assistance as well.

Readings.
All readings will be available on the course website: https://canvas.harvard.edu/courses/77155

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

Wed, Sep 2 – Thinking about Inequality from the Perspective of Social Justice
Background: T. M. Scanlon, “The Diversity of Objections to Inequality”

Mon, Sep 7 – Skeptical Welfarist and Libertarian Approaches

Gregory Mankiw, “Defending the One Percent”
Milton Friedman, Capitalism and Freedom, pp. 85-94, 190-95, 161-66
Also relevant: Robert Nozick, Anarchy, State, and Utopia, pp. 149-82

Wed, Sep 9 – Inequality in the Basic Structure of Society

John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, rev. ed., pp. 3-19, 52-93
Also relevant: Rawls, A Theory of Justice, pp. 118-39, 153-60

Mon, Sep 14 – Economic Institutions and Moral Desert

John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, rev. ed., pp. 242-77
Also relevant: T. M. Scanlon, “Rawls on Justification”

2
Wed, Sep 16 – Equal Opportunity, Narrow Conceptions
John Schaar, “Equality of Opportunity and Beyond”
Douglas Rae et al., “Equalities of Opportunity”
Also relevant: Brian Barry, Why Social Justice Matters, pp. 37-45

Mon, Sep 21 – Equal Opportunity, Wide Conceptions

G. A. Cohen, “Why Not Socialism?”
John Roemer, “Equality and Responsibility”
Also relevant: Richard Arneson, “Four Conceptions of Equal Opportunity”

Wed, Sep 23 – Occupational Inequality and the Persistence of Classes

Paul Gomberg, “Dilemmas of Rawlsian Opportunity”
Also relevant: John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, pp. 456-64

Mon, Sep 28 – Occupational Inequality and the Division of Labor

Samuel Arnold, “The Difference Principle at Work”
Also relevant: Simon Head, Mindless, pp. 1-28

Wed, Sep 30 – Subjection to Authority in the Workplace

Nien-he Hsieh, “Rawlsian Justice and Workplace Republicanism”
Also relevant: Elizabeth Anderson, “Equality and Freedom in the Workplace”

Mon, Oct 5 – Women’s Choices and the Gender Wage Gap

Kristi Olson, “Our Choices, Our Wage Gap?”
Also relevant: Mary Gregory, “Gender and Economic Inequality”

Wed, Oct 7 – Inequality, Gender and the Family

Susan Okin, Justice, Gender, and the Family, pp. 3-9, 16-23, 89-109
Also relevant: Susan Okin, “‘Forty Acres and a Mule’ for Women”

Mon, Oct 12 – Inequality and the Social Ethos

G. A. Cohen, Rescuing Justice and Equality, pp. 116-43
Also relevant: Joshua Cohen, “Taking People as They Are?”

Wed, Oct 14 – Racial Inequality and Segregation

Elizabeth Anderson, The Imperative of Integration, pp. 23-43, 112-34
Also relevant: Tommie Shelby, “Integration, Inequality, and Imperatives of Justice”

Mon, Oct 19 – Race, Inequality, and Family Policy

Tommie Shelby, Dark Ghettos, pp. 119-22, 142-74
Also relevant: Elizabeth Brake, “Willing Parents”

3
Wed, Oct 21 – Welfare, Race, and Labor Discipline
Tommie Shelby, “Justice, Deviance, and the Dark Ghetto”
Also relevant: Stuart White, “Is Conditionality Illiberal?”

Mon, Oct 26 – Property, Poverty, and Liberty

Jeremy Waldon, “Homelessness and the Issue of Freedom”
Also relevant: G. A. Cohen, “Freedom and Money”

Wed, Oct 28 – Economic Class and Free Time

Julie Rose, Free Time, pp. 66-92, 127-45
Also relevant: Robert Goodin et al, Discretionary Time, 61-66, 261-70

Mon, Nov 2 – The Condition of Unauthorized Migrant

Joseph Carens, The Ethics of Immigration, pp. 129-57
Also relevant: Javier Hidalgo, “Resistance to Unjust Immigration Restrictions”

Wed, Nov 4 – No lecture, post-election discussion

Mon, Nov 9 – Political Equality, Affluence and Influence

Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page, “Testing Theories of American Politics”
Also relevant: Martin Gilens, Affluence and Influence, pp. 234-52

Wed, Nov 11 – Two Challenges to Popular Government

Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels, Democracy for Realists, pp. 21-51
Also relevant: Jason Brennan, The Ethics of Voting, pp. 161-77

Mon, Nov 16 – Political Equality, Money, and Elections

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (selections)
Joshua Cohen, “Money, Politics, and Political Equality”
Also relevant: Ryan Pevnick, “Does the Egalitarian Rationale for Campaign Finance
Reform Succeed?”

Wed, Nov 18 – Protests and Civil Disobedience

John Rawls, “The Justification of Civil Disobedience”
Also relevant: Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

Mon, Nov 23 – Structural Injustice and Collective Action

Alex Gourevitch, “The Right to Strike”

Wed, Nov 25 – Thanksgiving Recess – no lecture

Nov 30 & Dec 2 – Reserved for loose ends and further discussion