Iris Marion Young Essay ⋆ Political Science Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

Iris Marion Young (1949–2006) was a feminist political philosopher and social theorist whose impact on issues of justice, gender, and equality went far beyond traditional academic boundaries. Her work was highly praised by colleagues in philosophy and political science, but she also advanced debates in fields from urban planning and public health to education and law. The consistent exemplary quality in her scholarly writing was the ability to connect often technical and abstract theories of justice to the politics of everyday life.

Young’s passion for ideas began early in life and led to her studying philosophy at Queen’s College in New York. She continued her education at Pennsylvania State University, receiving her doctorate in 1974. Afterward she taught at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Miami University, and the University of Pittsburgh, before her appointment to teach political science at the University of Chicago.

Many books have contributed to the discussion of justice in political philosophy over the past thirty years, but few have changed the terrain of the debate in the ways that Young’s Justice and the Politics of Difference did in 1990.

This volume explores the dominant perspectives on justice and critiques them where they fall short. In an attempt to remedy their deficiencies and advance the conversation in a new direction, Young argues for supporting the differences among social groups. Whereas many political theorists would often overlook the complicated parts of social diversity, Young suggests that these differences be understood as an essential component of completing explanations of justice. Further, she demands that a new set of criteria be employed to judge the justness of institutions and the opportunities they provide to adequately address injustices of a system built on biased norms.

From this work, Young’s scholarly focus turned again to ideas that have implications in the international realm and on global justice. In Inclusion and Democracy (2000), she highlights the ways in which present forms of democracy all too often curtail the freedom of participation of marginalized groups. She maintains this inadequacy of many democratic governments must be addressed to make the process of deliberation and policy making more inclusive to voices that come from nontraditional sources or from outside the dominant political paradigms. One of the most intriguing aspects of her discussion is the need for some type of global democracy to combat the political forces that actively support the oppression of marginalized groups and that prohibit democracies from rectifying the injustices that occur when inclusion is not a political priority.

Many of Young’s ideas continued to permeate grassroots activism on issues of social diversity, equality, and human rights in the early twenty-first century, and her determination to advance the cause of justice continued through her works and the students she taught.

Bibliography:

Young, Iris Marion. Justice and the Politics of Difference. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1990.
Throwing Like a Girl and Other Essays in Feminist Philosophy and Social Theory. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1990.

This example Iris Marion Young Essay is published for educational and informational purposes only. If you need a custom essay or research paper on this topic please use our writing services. EssayEmpire.com offers reliable custom essay writing services that can help you to receive high grades and impress your professors with the quality of each essay or research paper you hand in.