The welfare state: justice or theft?: INVITED COMMENTARY ON... TALKING LIBERTIES

John Rawls's theory of justice has been embraced by both the political left and the right, albeit for different reasons. This commentary points out some caveats regarding Rawls's theory as applied to healthcare in general and psychiatry in particular. An alternative political philosophy, t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advances in psychiatric treatment : the Royal College of Psychiatrists' journal of continuing professional development 2006-05, Vol.12 (3), p.211-213
Main Author: Sarkar, Sameer P
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:John Rawls's theory of justice has been embraced by both the political left and the right, albeit for different reasons. This commentary points out some caveats regarding Rawls's theory as applied to healthcare in general and psychiatry in particular. An alternative political philosophy, the theory of ‘entitlement justice’ as advanced by Nozick, is presented and it is argued that this has more real-life relevance for healthcare ethics than the Rawlsian theory of distributive justice. The reader is invited to determine which theory, if either, is the best fit for psychiatry. The article concludes with some thoughts on the limits to autonomy that mental illness imposes and likens it to the concept of ‘interstitial autonomy’.
ISSN:1355-5146
1472-1481
DOI:10.1192/apt.12.3.211