Unfreedom for All: How the World's Injustices Harm You
Thomas J. Donahue
Abstract
It is often said that we live in global systems of injustice. But if so, what are they, and what are their moral consequences? This book offers a theory of global injustice—“Unfreedom for All.” The theory explores and defends the old adage that “No one is free while others are oppressed” by putting five questions: Why and when ought we to combat injustices done to distant others, and does this require joining in solidarity against them? Do we live under global systems of injustice? What counts as systematic injustice or oppression? Who if anyone is made unfree by such injustices? What harms do ... More
It is often said that we live in global systems of injustice. But if so, what are they, and what are their moral consequences? This book offers a theory of global injustice—“Unfreedom for All.” The theory explores and defends the old adage that “No one is free while others are oppressed” by putting five questions: Why and when ought we to combat injustices done to distant others, and does this require joining in solidarity against them? Do we live under global systems of injustice? What counts as systematic injustice or oppression? Who if anyone is made unfree by such injustices? What harms do they do? Unfreedom for All shows that the “No one is free” creed either answers or results from each of these questions. It defends that creed by considering how systematic injustices—such as global severe poverty, male supremacy, or racial oppression—are perpetuated. The book argues that where your society does such an injustice, it systematically suppresses anyone’s resistance to the injustice—including yours. It uses authoritarian tactics against everyone, so you too are subject to arbitrary power. Hence you too are unfree. This holds just as true of systematic injustices done by global society, and this should be the main reason for joining in solidarity against injustice.
Keywords:
oppression,
unfreedom,
solidarity,
responsibility for justice,
arbitrary power,
race,
gender,
poverty,
harm of injustice,
theories of injustice
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2019 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780190051686 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: September 2019 |
DOI:10.1093/oso/9780190051686.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Thomas J. Donahue, author
Visiting Assistant Professor, Political Science, Haverford College
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