Preview Response

Justice / Social Sciences

Peter Sloman

Professor of British Politics at the University of Cambridge

Fellow of Churchill College

One of the themes I trace in my work is the rise of what Professor Wolterstorff calls the ’Aristotelian’ notion of distributive justice in Anglo-American thought over the last century. I’d be interested in reflecting on what role Christian thinkers have played in shaping prevailing conceptions of justice and rights, both in and outside the Church.

Professor Wolterstorff’s discussion of architecture and buildings set me thinking about the ways in which justice (or injustice) can come to be embedded in social institutions. How should we understand the relationship between our interpersonal behaviour and collective structures? Do the same concepts and criteria of justice apply on both these levels?