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Complex equality is a theory of justice outlined by Michael Walzer in his 1983 work Spheres of Justice. It is considered innovative because of its emphasis on the broader conceptualization of distribution, which covers not only tangible goods but also abstract goods such as rights. [1]
Michael Walzer launched his theory of complex equality in 1983 in a book entitled Spheres of Justice.1 The theory, as will be seen, is innovative in that it focuses on distribution, where distribution is defined very broadly to include not just tangible goods, but also abstract goods such as rights,2 and even char-acteristics.3 Walzer’s writing ...
David Miller explores and develops Michael Walzer's notion of complex equality as a way of bringing together the potentially conflicting ideas of distributive justice and social equality.
Amy Gutmann argues that a just society could not, pace Michael Walzer, distribute social goods in accordance with the standards of complex equality. To support this view, Gutmann points to conflicts between multiple meanings of goods, which require adjudication in accordance with moral considerations that cut across distributive spheres.
Jan 5, 2023 · Walzer calls his theory “complex equality” (3–30). He argues that theories of distributive justice should interpret a society’s social meanings so as to ensure that each good is distributed in accordance with its own meaning and not that of some other good.
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Complex equality is the theory of distributive justice proposed by Michael Walzer in Spheres of Justice (1983). As an account of justice based on social practices and institutions, the theory is communitarian in its approach and poses obstacles for thinking of distributive justice in global terms.
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Critics have denied the egalitarian credentials of Michael Walzer’s theory of complex equality. This article locates the disagreement in differing conceptions of equality.
