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CIAO DATE: 03/02
Critical Review
Social Justice: The Hayekian Challenge
By Steven Lukes
Abstract
Hayek's argument that social justice is a mirage consists of six claims: that the very idea of social justice is meaningless, religious; self-contradictory, and ideological; that realizing any degree of social justice is unfeasible; and that aiming to do so must destroy all liberty. These claims are examined in the light of contemporary theories and debates concerning social justice in order to assess whether the argument's persuasive power is due to sound reasoning, and to what extent contemporary theories of justice meet or escape the Hayekian challenge.