Classical Liberals on Social Justice
Economic Affairs
30 Pages Posted: 21 Apr 2020 Last revised: 20 Sep 2023
Date Written: August 31, 2020
Abstract
In the summer of 2019, The Independent Review published a symposium on classical liberalism and social justice. We give an overview and commentary on the symposium papers. Rather than adopting the term social justice, we recommend returning to the three senses of justice maintained by Adam Smith and explained by Daniel Klein (2019). We articulate and explore Smith’s tripartite understanding of justice in contrast with an understanding that gives place to the expression social justice. Smith’s tri-layered understanding is in the spirit of addressing the micro-foundations of macrophenomena, the spirit of Thomas Schelling’s Micromotives and Macrobehavior.
Keywords: social justice, Adam Smith, commutative justice, distributive justice, estimative justice
JEL Classification: A13, B12
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation