Idealization and Abstraction in Models of Injustice
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12147183 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Leif Hancox‐Li (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 329-346 |
| Publication date | 2017-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Hypatia (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0887-5367 • E-ISSN: 1527-2001 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1111/hypa.12317 |
| OpenAlex | W2587068462 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 17 |
Charles Mills has argued against ideal theory in political philosophy on the basis that it contains idealizations. He calls for political philosophers to do more nonideal theory, namely political theory that pays more attention to the most visible oppressions in society, such as those based on race, gender, and class. Mills's argument relies on a distinction between idealization and abstraction. Idealizations involve adding false assumptions to one's model, which is unacceptable, whereas abstractions merely leave out details without undermining descriptive power. By studying formal models of injustice, I argue that the idealization/abstraction distinction is unhelpful. Either the distinction exists only relative to one's modeling purposes, or all models in political theory contain idealizations. Either way, the distinction does not help Mills's cause. Furthermore, there are arguments from philosophy of science for the epistemic benefits of idealizations. However, Mills's call for greater emphasis on the most visible mechanisms of oppression can be supported without relying on an idealization/abstraction distinction. I provide three alternative reasons for why we should prefer political theories that place more emphasis on race‐, class‐, and gender‐based oppression
Abstraction · Argument (complex analysis · Class (philosophy · Epistemology · Idealization · Injustice · Oppression · Philosophy of science · Political philosophy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Feminist Epistemology and Gender Studies · Law · Philosophical Ethics and Theory · Philosophy · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Psychology · Social Psychology
Scientific Collaboration and Collective Knowledge
Re-Engineering Philosophy for Limited Beings
Abstraction, Idealization, and Oppression
A Theory of Justice
Love’s Labor
Abstraction, Idealization and Ideology in Ethics
Ideal Theory” as Ideology
Segregation That No One Seeks
Minimal Model Explanations
Dynamic models of segregation
Against Ideal Guidance
Ideal and Nonideal Theory
Justice, Gender and International Boundaries
Feminist Politics and Human Nature
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |