Explore the ethical issues arising from an unequal world with borders. Information, goods and people are travelling further, faster and in larger quantities than ever before. Are our existing institutions and practices still up to the job? What about our theories of justice?
According to the cosmopolitan, justice applies on a global basis. Yet few would consider the current situation with states with vastly unequal wealth as meeting this cosmopolitan ideal. So, does that mean that much more generous action is required in order to help the poorest in the world? Does this mean there should be less focus on the worse-off members of wealthy societies?
This course will consider this cosmopolitan approach, but also the attempts made by philosophers to justify something closer to the status quo. For instance – does nationalism justify partiality towards those within our own state? Or does the fact that we share an institution (the state) generate a special relationship that does not generalise out in the same way to people across the border?
In the second half of the course, we will move on to consider several important international policy issues, such as trade, aid and taxation, where we consider whether the international economic system is fair. Should wealthy states be doing more to assist the poorest people in the world? We will consider the views of economists and others to consider the difficult trade-offs between different aims such as helping the poorest in the world, effectiveness and formal sovereignty.
Borders also raise questions of territory, migration, migrant rights, and policies of assimilation and multiculturalism. Some political philosophers have argued that it is unfair or unjustifiable to refuse people entry – that there should be something close to open borders. We will consider the arguments for border liberalisation and for maintaining the status quo.
A final important question is what states owe to migrants once they arrive. Should economic migrants have the same economic rights as citizens? How quickly should they be able to apply for citizenship? Again, economists often take a different view to philosophers on these points and we will consider the arguments.
Taking account of economics and ethical considerations, this course encourages you to consider and develop your own view on these crucial and hotly contested ethical issues.
This course is part of the Oxford University Summer School for Adults (OUSSA) programme.