Editing Amartya Sen (section)

=== ''The Idea of Justice'' (2009) ===
In 2009, Sen published a book called ''[[The Idea of Justice]]''.<ref name="Sen 2010" /> Based on his previous work in welfare economics and social choice theory, but also on his philosophical thoughts, Sen presented his own theory of justice that he meant to be an alternative to the influential modern theories of justice of [[John Rawls]] or [[John Harsanyi]]. In opposition to Rawls but also earlier justice theoreticians [[Immanuel Kant]], [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]] or [[David Hume]], and inspired by the philosophical works of [[Adam Smith]] and [[Mary Wollstonecraft]], Sen developed a theory that is both comparative and realisations-oriented (instead of being transcendental and institutional). However, he still regards institutions and processes as being equally important. As an alternative to Rawls's [[veil of ignorance]], Sen chose the [[thought experiment]] of an impartial spectator as the basis of his theory of justice. He also stressed the importance of public discussion (understanding democracy in the sense of [[John Stuart Mill]]) and a focus on people's capabilities (an [[capability approach|approach]] that he had co-developed), including the notion of universal human rights, in evaluating various states with regard to justice.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}