Moral Clarity for the Work of Social Justice

Justice is hard because it is not win-win: people must reckon with the moral cost of their advantage and then cede it. Only those with moral clarity and authority can make demands of the advantaged. We will draw on Immanuel Kant to clarify morality, moral obligation, and the permissible means and ends of the work of social justice. We will examine the foundations of injustice, and why it endures and transmogrifies through the ages. Finally, we will illustrate how accompaniment – journeying with the marginalized, literally and figuratively, until justice is achieved – is a morally and tactically powerful tool in our perennial quest for justice.

Facilitator Bio

Manish Bhardwaj is the James Wei Visiting Professor at the Keller Center. He is the co-founder of Innovators In Health, a non-profit that works to ensure that the rural poor in India have access to healthcare. Manish teaches EGR/ENT 498, Entrepreneurship for the Idealist.