About the author
Indian economist and philosopher (b. 1933), Nobel laureate and co-architect of the capabilities approach. The Idea of Justice (2009) is his critique of the Rawlsian project of designing perfectly just institutions: Sen argues instead for a comparative approach that asks how to reduce manifest injustice in the real world, drawing on public reasoning, plural perspectives, and actual human freedoms rather than ideal blueprints.
Synopsis
Sen advances a comparative approach to justice focused on reducing remediable injustice rather than defining a perfect social order.
Core passage idea
Paraphrase · Modern copyrighted workSen emphasizes removing manifest injustice through public reasoning and capability expansion.
This gives accessible, policy-relevant depth without collapsing into activism or technocracy.
To avoid a bubble
Pair with Rawls for ideal-theory contrast or Nozick for rights constraints.
Reading note
Excellent bridge text for social justice routes.
Best paired with
A Theory of Justice by John Rawls.