Alexandre Gajevic Sayegh - Justice in a Non-Ideal World: Bridging the Gap Between Political Theory and Real-World Politics

Justice in a Non-Ideal
World

Studies in Social and Global Justice

Series Editors: Ben Holland, Lecturer in International Relations, The University of Nottingham; Tony Burns, Associate Professor, The University of Nottingham

As transnational interactions become more prevalent and complex in our interconnected world, so do the questions of social justice that have often featured in political discourse. From new debates in human rights and global ethics to changing patterns of resistance and precarity in the global economy, via an interrogation of the impact of climate change, Studies in Social and Global Justice publishes books that grapple with a broad array of critical issues faced in the world today.

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Janne Mende

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Justice in a Non-Ideal World: Bridging the Gap Between Political Theory and Real-World Politics

Alexandre Gajevic Sayegh

Justice in a Non-Ideal
World

Bridging the Gap Between Political
Theory and Real-World Politics

Alexandre Gajevic Sayegh

London New York

Published by Rowman & Littlefield International Ltd.

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Selection and editorial matter 2019 by Alexandre Gajevic Sayegh

Copyright in individual chapters is held by the respective chapter authors.

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: HB 978-1-78660-876-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available

ISBN 978-1-78660-876-5 (cloth : alk. paper)

ISBN 978-1-78660-877-2 (electronic)

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

Para minha famlia. Mar e terra jamais nos afastaro.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other wayin short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Contents

Observing politicians incapable of doing the right thing is a great source of frustration. Their balancing of values and priorities, often enough, is short-sighted, favours the already well-off members of society, and is imbedded in misguided and erroneous justifications. On the other hand, politicians and activists who truly care about the well-being of the people, the preservation of our environment and the stability of our climate, as well as the prospects of future generations are a source of hope and inspiration, in a moment when we really need both.

In a quest to figure out why some people in politics invest their time and energy to make the lives of other people better, while some others seem simply incapable of doing the right thing, I decided not to focus on the politicians but on political theory and its role in guiding politics. The role of political theory, or political philosophy, in guiding politics is contentious, not always clear, and not much debated in the activities of governments, at least not in a very systematic way. This book presses us to find ways to bridge this gap and offers tools to undertake this task.

The internal dilemma I faced throughout the writing of this book was one between aiming only for a strong metatheoretical contribution or offering a reflection that would also venture into practical territory. I chose the latter, knowing that by attempting to accomplish both I risked not accomplishing any. Once I finished with the metatheoretical worknamely, showing the importance of integrating non-ideal circumstances and empirical facts of the world into political theory, and how to do itI felt that readers would be irritated that not much was said about its practical implications. I had to start the practical work: exposing, by doing it if only a little, how political theory guides political action and how we can bridge the gap between political theory and real-world politics.