Richard J. Arneson

[mail]
 
Office: H&SS 8057 Email: rarneson@ucsd.edu

Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1975.

Richard J. Arneson has been a professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of California, San Diego since July, 1973. He received the Ph.D. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, 1975.  He was department chair from 1992-1996.  He has also been departmental graduate advisor. His UCSD rank since July, 2008 is Professor, Above Scale (Distinguished Professor).

He has been visiting professor at the University of California, Davis (1990) and at the Program in Ethics, Politics, and Economics at Yale University  (1996). In spring 1999 he was a visiting fellow at the Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University.  In January-February 2007 he was visiting professor (unpaid) at Charles Sturt University, the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, Australian National University branch. From August-December, 2008, he is Adjunct Professor at the School of Law, University of San Diego.

Teaching interests:

He teaches ethics and social and political philosophy.

Research interests:

His recent current research is on distributive justice. Some of this work explores how one might best incorporate a reasonable account of personal responsibility into a broadly egalitarian theory of justice. He also considers how consequentialist morality (one ought always to do an act the consequences of which are no worse than those of any alternative available act) might be developed in a version that is appealing and appropriately responsive to its critics.  This latter project involves exploring the structure of moderate deontology to identify the best rival of consequentialism.

Recent and forthcoming publications

  1. "Justice Is Not Equality," review essay on book by G. A. Cohen, forthcoming in Ratio (2008).
  2. "Two Cheers for Capabilities," forthcoming in Measuring Justice: Primary Goods and Capability (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008), Harry Brighouse and Ingrid Robeyns, eds.
  3. "What Do We Owe to Distant Needy Strangers?", forthcoming in Singer under Fire, Jeffrey A. Schaler, ed., 2008.
  4. "Rawls, Responsibility, and Distributive Justice," in Justice, Political Liberalism, and Utilitarianism: Themes from Harsanyi and Rawls, Marc Fleurbaey and John A. Weymark, eds. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.)
  5. "What Is Wrongful Discrimination?", San Diego Law Review 43 (2006), pp. 775-807
  6. "Does Social Justice Matter? Brian Barry's Applied Political Philosophy," Ethics 117 (April, 2007).
  7. "Just Warfare and Noncombatant Immunity," in Cornell International Law Journal, 39, No. 3 (2006), pp. 663-688..
  8. "Shame, Stigma, and Disgust in the Decent Society,"Journal of Ethics 11 (2007), pp. 31-63.
  9. "Luck Egalitarianism: An Interpretation and Defense," Philosophical Topics 32, Nos. 1 & 2 (Spring-Fall 2004), pp. 1-20 .[Actual date of publication: September, 2006.]
  10. "Joel Feinberg and the Justification of Hard Paternalism," Legal Theory 11 (2005), pp. 259-284.
  11. "Desert and Equality," in Nils Holtug and Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen, eds. Egalitarianism: New Essays on the Nature and Value of Equality (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007), pp. 262-293.
  12. "The Meaning of Marriage and State Efforts to Facilitate Friendship, Love, and Child-Rearing," San Diego Law Review 42, No. 3 (Summer 2005), pp. 979-1001.
  13. "Broadly Utilitarian Theories of Exploitation and Multi-National Clinical Research," in Ezekiel Emanuel and Jennifer Hawkins, eds., volume on exploitation in medical research (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007).
  14. "Desire Formation and Human Good," Royal Institute of Philosophy, supp. vol. 59, Preferences and Well-Being, Serena Olsaretti, ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007), pp. 9-32.
  15. "Justice after Rawls," in John Dryzek and Anne Phillips, eds., Oxford Handbook of Political Theory (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006).       
  16. "Distributive Justice and Basic Capability Equality: 'Good Enough' Is Not Good Enough," in Alexander Kaufman, ed., Capabilities Equality: Basic Issues and Problems (London: Routledge, 2005).
  17. "Sophisticated Rule Consequentialism: Some Simple Objections," Philosophical Issues, supp. vol. to Nous (2005).
  18. "Do Patriotic Ties Limit Global Justice Duties?", Journal of Ethics 9 (2005), pp. 127-150.
  19. "The Shape of Lockean Natural Rights: Pareto, Fairness, and Consent," Social Philosophy and Policy 22, No. 1 (Winter, 2005), pp. 255-285.
  20. "Cracked Foundations of Liberal Equality," in Justine Burley. ed.,  Ronald Dworkin and His Critics (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 2005), pp. 79-98.
  21. "Democracy Is Not Intrinsically Just," in Justice and Democracy, ed. by Keith Dowding, and Robert E. Goodin, and Carole Pateman (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), pp. 40-58.
  22. "Moral Limits on the Demands of Beneficence?", in The Ethics of Assistance: Morality, Affluence, and the Distant Needy, ed. by Deen K. Chatterjee (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), pp. 33-58.
  23.  "Opportunity for Welfare, Priority, and Public Policy," in Globalization, Culture, and the Limits of the Market: Essays in Economics and Philosophy, ed. by Steven Cullenberg and Prasanta K. Pattanaik (New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2004), pp. 177-214.
  24. "Consequentialism versus Special-Ties Partiality," The Monist 86, No. 3 (July, 2003), pp. 382-401.
  25. "Liberal Neutrality on the Good: An Autopsy," in Perfectionism and Neutrality: Essays in Liberal Theory, ed. by George Klosko and Steven Wall (Rowman and Littlefield, 2003), pp. 191-208.
  26.  "Equality, Coercion, Culture, and Social Norms," in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics 2, No. 2 (June, 2003), pp. 139-163.
  27.  "The Smart Theory of Responsibility and Desert," in Desert and Justice, ed. by Serena Olsaretti (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), pp. 233-258.
  28.  "Defending the Purely Instrumental Account of Democratic Authority," The Journal of Political Philosophy 11, No. 1 (March,2003), pp. 122-13.
  29.  "Is Moral Theory Perplexed by New Genetic Technology?", San Diego Law Review 39, No. 3 (August/September, 2002).
  30.  "Why Justice Requires Transfers to Offset Income and Wealth Inequalities," Social Philosophy and Policy 19, No. 1 (2002), pp. 172-200x.
  31.  "The End of Welfare as We Know It?  Scanlon versus Welfarist Consequentialism," Social Theory and Practice 28, No. 2 (April, 2002).
  32.  "Luck and Equality," Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, supp. vol. (2001), pp. 73-90.
  33.  "Against Rights," Philosophical Issues, vol. 11(December, 2001).
  34.  "Critical Notice" of Equality, Responsibility, and the Law by Arthur Ripstein, Canadian Journal of Philosophy 31, No. 2 (June, 2001), pp. 245-262.
  35.  "Welfare Should Be the Currency of Justice," Canadian Journal of Philosophy 30, No. 4 (December, 2000), pp. 497-524.
  36.  "Disability, Priority, and Social Justice," in Americans with Disabilities: Exploring the Implications of the Law for Individuals and Institutions, ed. by Leslie A. Francis and Anita Silvers (London: Routledge, 2000).
  37.  "Perfectionism and Politics," Ethics 111, No. 1 (October, 2000), pp. 37-63.
  38.  "Economic Analysis Meets Distributive Justice" (review essay), Social Theory and Practice 26, No. 2 (Summer, 2000).
  39.  "Egalitarian Justice versus the Right to Privacy," Social Philosophy and Policy 17, No. 2 (Summer, 2000), pp. 91-119.
  40.  "Rawls versus Utilitarianism in the Light of Political Liberalism," in The Idea of a Political Liberalism: Essays on Rawls, ed. by Clark Wolf and Victoria Davion (Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littelfield, 2000).
  41.  "Luck Egalitarianism and Prioritarianism," Ethics 110, No. 2 (January, 2000).
  42.  "Egalitarianism and Responsibility," Journal of Ethics 3, No. 3 (1999), pp. 225-247.
  43.  "What, If Anything, Renders All Humans Morally Equal?," in Peter Singer and His Critics, ed. by Dale Jamieson (Oxford: Blackwell, 1999).
  44.  "Equal Opportunity for Welfare Defended and Recanted," Journal of Political Philosophy 7, No. 4 (December, 1999).
  45.  "Human Flourishing versus Desire Satisfaction," Social Philosophy and Policy 16, No. 1 (Winter, 1999).
  46.  "Against Rawlsian Equality of Opportunity," Philosophical Studies 93, No. 1 (January, 1999).
  47.  "What Sort of Sexual Equality Should Feminists Seek?", Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues 9 (Spring, 1998).
  48.  "Real Freedom and Distributive Justice," in Freedom in Economics: New Perspectives in Normative Analysis, ed. by Jean-Francois Laslier, Marc Fleurbaey, Nicolas Gravel, and Allain Trannoy (London and New York: Routledge, 1998).
  49.  "Feminism and Family Justice," Public Affairs Quarterly 11, No. 4 (October, 1997).
  50.  "Egalitarianism and the Undeserving Poor," Journal of Political Philosophy 5, No. 3 (1997).

Work in progress:

Essay on the contribution of recent Kant interpretation to moral philosophy.
Essay on "Egalitarianism and Tort Law."
Essay on "Moderate Deontology, Aggregation, and Rights"
Essay on the justification of democracy. .
Essay on disability and equality.
Essay on equality and time.
Essay on "Varieties of Cosmopolitanism and the Ideal of Global Justice."
Essay on "Luck Egalitarianism--A Primer."
Essay on "Moral Worth and Moral Luck."

Current Curriculum Vitae

Unpublications:

"Cracked Foundations of Liberal Equality." This essay was written in 1994 and in 2004 finally appeared in print.. (I revised this essay in September, 2002.)  Strictly speaking, this is a former unpublication.
"Rawls, Responsibility, and Distributive Justice." This essay was written for a conference that occurred in June, 1996.  The essay is supposed to appear in Justice, Political Liberalism, and Utilitarianism: Themes from Harsanyi and Rawls , ed. by Maurice Salles and John A. Weymark (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). The CUP Web Site used to say the volume was forthcoming in 2004.  News flash: The volume is now in print (2008). So this is also demoted to "former unpublication" status. Or one might revise the idea of an unpublication, as follows: any writing delayed from publication for more than ten years is an unpublication. Even if eventually printed, it's a zombie or ghost.

Graduate seminars:

Graduate students I am currently working with:

    Kory Schaff advanced to candidacy in June, 2002 and successfully defended his thesis in June, 2005.   His Ph.D. dissertation is on "Work, Freedom, and Community: Hegel's Normative Economics."  Michael Hardimon and I served as co-chairs of his committee.  As of September, 2005 he is assistant professor of philosophy at Occidental College.
    Jeff Stedman advanced to candidacy in December, 2002 and successfully defended his thesis in June, 2006.  His Ph.D. dissertation project is on objective theories of human good.  David Brink and I were co-chairs.
    Dale Dorsey advanced to candidacy in spring quarter, 2005.  His thesis topic is "Thresholds and the Good: A Program of Political Evaluation."  He successfully defended his dissertation in June, 2007. I chaired his dissertation committee.  As of July, 2007 he is assistant professor of philosophy at The University of Alberta, Canada. As of July, 2008, he will be assistant professor at the University of Kansas.
    Brad McHose at UCLA advanced to candidacy in September, 2005 and completed all Ph. D. requirements in August, 2007.  His dissertation was on on "Justice and Desert."  I served as a member of his dissertation committee. In 2007-2008 he has a teaching post-doctoral fellowship at Stanford University.
Michael Tiboris advanced to candidacy in September, 2007 and is writing a dissertation on "Responsibility, Justice, and the Juvenile Agent." I am co-chairing his dissertation committee with Dana Nelkin.
Eric Campbell advanced to candidacy in September, 2007 and is working on a dissertation in metaethics on "Moral Abolitionism." I am co-chairing his dissertation committee with David Brink.
    Nina Davis advanced to candidacy in fall quarter, 2005.  She is working on "Associative Political Obligations."  I am a member of her dissertation committee.
    Charles Kurth advanced to candidacy in fall quarter, 2006 and is working on a thesis about objectivity in ethics.  The thesis supervisor is David Brink.  I am a member of the dissertation committee.
Erin Frykholm is working on Hume and virtue ethics. I hope to be involved in her project.
    Evan Moreno-Davis has completed a M. A. thesis on  moral responsibility.  Dana Nelkin, Pat Churchland,  and I worked with him.
    I served on the dissertation committee of Anna Alexandrova, who advanced to candidacy in March, 2003 and successfully defended her thesis in March, 2006.  Her Ph.D. dissertation is on  "Methods and Causes in Social Science." As of July, 2007 she will be assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Missouri-St.Louis.  Nancy Cartwright was her dissertation supervisor.
    With Professor Dana Nelkin, I recently supervised the work on free will and responsibility of Christopher Bignell, who successfuly completed an M.A. thesis in fall, 2005.
    I recently served on the dissertation committee of Luke Robinson.  In October, 2005 he successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation on "The Metaphysics of Morality: A Dispositionalist Account."  He is now assistant profesor of philosophy at Southern Methodist University.
    I recently served on the dissertation committee of James Anderson.  He has written a Marx-inspired critique of liberal theories of justice.  The dissertation title is "The Role of  Interdependence in Moral Theory: Liberalism and its Critics."  He successfully defended the dissertation on December 5, 2002.
    I recently served on the dissertation committee of Jonathan Gunderson.  His dissertation title is "Action and Interaction: The Reality of Reasons and Limits of Physicalism."  He successfully defended his thesis on May 6, 2003.

Undergraduate courses:

        SPRING 2006
        Undergraduate seminar--The Morality of Terrorism (Philosophy 87 Spring 2006)
        Classics in Political Philosophy (Philosophy 166  Spring 2006)
       Introduction to Philosophy (Philosophy 1 Spring 2006)
 

Fall, 2007

Winter 2008

Spring 2008

Fall 2008

Winter 2009

USD SCHOOL OF LAW COURSES

Fall, 2008