4.4 Young on Justice

About this Text

Iris Marion Young was a late 20th century political theorist.   In the excerpts we’re reading from Justice and the Politics of Difference, Young criticizes Rawls’ focus on distribution.  She argues that while distribution works as a way to think about economic justice, focusing only on distribution can blind us to injustice in the form of domination and oppression.  As you read, think about the kinds of domination and oppression that Young has in mind and why she thinks Rawls’ theory is ineffective in diagnosing and correcting them.