Principles of Justice and Public Policies
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
The course introduces students to philosophical reflections on the principles of justice that can inform public policy. Specifically, it aims to provide students with a critical understanding of the key normative theories of political and social justice, equipping them with the conceptual tools necessary to analyse the fairness of public institutions and policies.
Through the comparative study and discussion of theoretical conceptions of political and social justice, as well as specific justice issues, the course will develop students' ability to independently analyse the normative issues at the heart of contemporary public debate, while strengthening their argumentative and communication skills.
Through the comparative study and discussion of theoretical conceptions of political and social justice, as well as specific justice issues, the course will develop students' ability to independently analyse the normative issues at the heart of contemporary public debate, while strengthening their argumentative and communication skills.
Expected learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will have acquired the following:
Knowledge and understanding
- Knowledge and understanding of the subject, purpose, method and status of philosophical reflection on justice as an analytical enterprise.
- Knowledge and understanding of the assumptions, principles and implications of the main contemporary philosophical conceptions of political and social justice.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
- The ability to apply the theoretical models they have learnt to critically analyse concrete political and social justice issues.
- The ability to evaluate public policies in light of various philosophical conceptions of political and social justice.
Autonomy of judgement
- The ability to make reasoned and autonomous judgements on issues of public policy and justice.
Communication skills
- The ability to argue normative positions clearly and rigorously, thereby making a constructive contribution to discussions on issues of political and social justice.
Learning skills
- The ability to read, understand and critically analyse philosophical texts concerning political and social justice.
- The ability to locate relevant philosophical literature independently using search engines and bibliographic repositories.
Knowledge and understanding
- Knowledge and understanding of the subject, purpose, method and status of philosophical reflection on justice as an analytical enterprise.
- Knowledge and understanding of the assumptions, principles and implications of the main contemporary philosophical conceptions of political and social justice.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
- The ability to apply the theoretical models they have learnt to critically analyse concrete political and social justice issues.
- The ability to evaluate public policies in light of various philosophical conceptions of political and social justice.
Autonomy of judgement
- The ability to make reasoned and autonomous judgements on issues of public policy and justice.
Communication skills
- The ability to argue normative positions clearly and rigorously, thereby making a constructive contribution to discussions on issues of political and social justice.
Learning skills
- The ability to read, understand and critically analyse philosophical texts concerning political and social justice.
- The ability to locate relevant philosophical literature independently using search engines and bibliographic repositories.
Lesson period: Third trimester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Third trimester
Course syllabus
The course is structured into two teaching units.
Teaching Unit 1 - 20 lessons
This unit introduces students to philosophical inquiry into political and social justice. After outlining the object, aims, methods and status of the philosophy of justice, the course focuses on the analysis of key principles of justice—primarily as they apply to public institutions—examining their interpretations, underlying assumptions and implications.
The following principles will be addressed:
- fairness, solidarity and benevolence
- responsibility
- equality of treatment
- equality of opportunity
- gender equality and freedom
- meritocracy
- distributive justice
- intergenerational justice
- tolerance and neutrality
- human dignity
- self-ownership and personal sovereignty
- harm and offence
- freedom of conscience
Part of the unit will be devoted to structured classroom debates modelled on Anglo-American debating societies. Students will be randomly assigned to three groups: one to defend a motion, one to oppose it, and one to question both sides and evaluate the strength of their arguments. Motions will be circulated in advance to allow adequate preparation. The aim is to assess students' ability to develop and defend arguments by applying the principles studied.
Teaching Unit 2 - 10 lessons
This unit offers a critical examination of two key domains of public policy—education and health—where the State plays a central role and where tensions arise between individual liberty and public intervention.
The first module traces the historical development of education and outlines the constitutional principles governing the right to education and shaping public policy. It then explores the value of education for individual emancipation and democratic life, followed by an analysis of major libertarian and anarchist critiques of the school system. The module concludes with a discussion of the challenges posed by artificial intelligence to democratic education.
The second module begins by clarifying the concept of "health" and examining medicine as a potential instrument of social control. It then considers health as a constitutional right within the Italian legal framework, with particular attention to its implications for public policy, including vaccination. The issue of healthcare resource allocation is introduced through contrasting accounts of the foundations and limits of what a just society ought to guarantee (N. Daniels; H.T. Engelhardt Jr.). The module concludes with an analysis of restrictions on liberty justified on health grounds, focusing on two case studies: compulsory treatment for mental illness and the political and public health management of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The topics covered include:
- historical development of education and constitutional principles
- perspectives on the value of education (Condorcet; P. Calamandrei; M.C. Nussbaum)
- libertarian critiques of State education (M.N. Rothbard)
- anarchist critiques of schooling (I. Illich)
- artificial intelligence and education
- the concept of "health"
- medicine, social control and medicalisation
- health as a right
- mental health and coercion: compulsory treatment
- proportionality and the management of the Covid-19 pandemic
Teaching Unit 1 - 20 lessons
This unit introduces students to philosophical inquiry into political and social justice. After outlining the object, aims, methods and status of the philosophy of justice, the course focuses on the analysis of key principles of justice—primarily as they apply to public institutions—examining their interpretations, underlying assumptions and implications.
The following principles will be addressed:
- fairness, solidarity and benevolence
- responsibility
- equality of treatment
- equality of opportunity
- gender equality and freedom
- meritocracy
- distributive justice
- intergenerational justice
- tolerance and neutrality
- human dignity
- self-ownership and personal sovereignty
- harm and offence
- freedom of conscience
Part of the unit will be devoted to structured classroom debates modelled on Anglo-American debating societies. Students will be randomly assigned to three groups: one to defend a motion, one to oppose it, and one to question both sides and evaluate the strength of their arguments. Motions will be circulated in advance to allow adequate preparation. The aim is to assess students' ability to develop and defend arguments by applying the principles studied.
Teaching Unit 2 - 10 lessons
This unit offers a critical examination of two key domains of public policy—education and health—where the State plays a central role and where tensions arise between individual liberty and public intervention.
The first module traces the historical development of education and outlines the constitutional principles governing the right to education and shaping public policy. It then explores the value of education for individual emancipation and democratic life, followed by an analysis of major libertarian and anarchist critiques of the school system. The module concludes with a discussion of the challenges posed by artificial intelligence to democratic education.
The second module begins by clarifying the concept of "health" and examining medicine as a potential instrument of social control. It then considers health as a constitutional right within the Italian legal framework, with particular attention to its implications for public policy, including vaccination. The issue of healthcare resource allocation is introduced through contrasting accounts of the foundations and limits of what a just society ought to guarantee (N. Daniels; H.T. Engelhardt Jr.). The module concludes with an analysis of restrictions on liberty justified on health grounds, focusing on two case studies: compulsory treatment for mental illness and the political and public health management of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The topics covered include:
- historical development of education and constitutional principles
- perspectives on the value of education (Condorcet; P. Calamandrei; M.C. Nussbaum)
- libertarian critiques of State education (M.N. Rothbard)
- anarchist critiques of schooling (I. Illich)
- artificial intelligence and education
- the concept of "health"
- medicine, social control and medicalisation
- health as a right
- mental health and coercion: compulsory treatment
- proportionality and the management of the Covid-19 pandemic
Prerequisites for admission
Italian will be the standard language for lectures, and students will be required to read texts in this language. Therefore, a good knowledge of Italian is essential.
Teaching methods
Although class attendance is not compulsory, it is highly recommended. Based on previous years' experience, students who attend are more likely to pass the exam on their first attempt and achieve a higher grade.
Teaching for attending students will consist of lectures, class discussions, and recommended reading on the topics covered in the lectures.
Lecture slides will be available on the course's MyAriel website.
Students who do not attend should prepare for the exams by studying the texts indicated in the bibliography section of the syllabus.
Teaching for attending students will consist of lectures, class discussions, and recommended reading on the topics covered in the lectures.
Lecture slides will be available on the course's MyAriel website.
Students who do not attend should prepare for the exams by studying the texts indicated in the bibliography section of the syllabus.
Teaching Resources
Texts marked with an asterisk (*) can be downloaded from the course's MyAriel webpage.
Teaching Unit 1
All students, whether attending or not, are required to study the texts listed under items (1), (2), (3) and (4). In addition, non-attending students must study the text listed under item (5).
(1) Mill, J.S. (1869) On Liberty. London: J.W. Parker and Son. Italian translation: Saggio sulla libertà. Sesto San Giovanni: Società aperta, 2023 (or any complete edition).
(2) Riva, N. (2020) 'La libertà come limite alla libertà', in Riva, N. (ed.) L'antipaternalismo liberale e la sfida della vulnerabilità. Rome: Carocci, pp. 51-70.
(3) Mill, J.S. (1871) Principles of Political Economy. London: Longmans, Green, Reader and Dyer. Italian translation: Principi di economia politica. Turin: UTET, 1983, pp. 333-377 and 997-1003.*
(4) Riva, N. (2026) John Rawls. Una filosofia della giustizia. Milan: Raffaello Cortina.
(5) Riva, N. (2016) Egalitarismi. Concezioni contemporanee della giustizia. Turin: Giappichelli.
Teaching Unit 2
All students, whether attending or not, are required to study the texts listed under items (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5). In addition, non-attending students must study the texts listed under items (6), (7), (8) and (9).
(1) Nussbaum, M.C. (2010) Non per profitto. Perché le democrazie hanno bisogno della cultura umanistica. Bologna: Il Mulino, 2014, pp. 21-69 (Chapters 1-3 and the beginning of Chapter 4).
(2) Rothbard, M.N. (1973) Per una nuova libertà. Il manifesto libertario. Macerata: Liberilibri, 2004, pp. 169-197.*
(3) Illich, I. (1971) Descolarizzare la società. Una società senza scuola è possibile? Milan: Mimesis, 2019 (or any edition), Chapters 1 and 3.
(4) Foucault, M. (1974) 'La nascita della medicina sociale', in Il filosofo militante. Archivio Foucault. Vol. 2: Interventi, colloqui, interviste, 1971-1977. Milan: Feltrinelli, 2017.*
(5) Lecaldano, E. (2005) Bioetica. Le scelte morali. Rome-Bari: Laterza, Chapter 5, pp. 314-370.*
(6) Condorcet (1791) 'Prima memoria sull'istruzione pubblica', in Gli sguardi dell'illuminista. Politica e ragione nell'età dei lumi. Bari: Dedalo, 2009, pp. 87-91, 97-106, 113-121, 127-131.*
(7) Simoncini, A. and Longo, E. (2006) 'Art. 32', in Bifulco, R., Celotto, A. and Olivetti, M. (eds) Commentario alla Costituzione. Turin: UTET, pp. 655-669 (excluding pp. 660-661).*
(8) Negroni, A.A. (2020) 'Principio di libertà, principio del danno e malattia mentale', Dirittifondamentali.it, 2, pp. 1361-1410.*
(9) Negroni, A.A. (2025) 'Covid e sovranità sul proprio corpo', in Cappelluti, F., Cesaretti, P. and Laviano, F. (eds) Critica della ragione pandemica. COVID-19: ripensare la fenomenologia di un evento epocale. Milan: Meltemi, pp. 426-439.*
Teaching Unit 1
All students, whether attending or not, are required to study the texts listed under items (1), (2), (3) and (4). In addition, non-attending students must study the text listed under item (5).
(1) Mill, J.S. (1869) On Liberty. London: J.W. Parker and Son. Italian translation: Saggio sulla libertà. Sesto San Giovanni: Società aperta, 2023 (or any complete edition).
(2) Riva, N. (2020) 'La libertà come limite alla libertà', in Riva, N. (ed.) L'antipaternalismo liberale e la sfida della vulnerabilità. Rome: Carocci, pp. 51-70.
(3) Mill, J.S. (1871) Principles of Political Economy. London: Longmans, Green, Reader and Dyer. Italian translation: Principi di economia politica. Turin: UTET, 1983, pp. 333-377 and 997-1003.*
(4) Riva, N. (2026) John Rawls. Una filosofia della giustizia. Milan: Raffaello Cortina.
(5) Riva, N. (2016) Egalitarismi. Concezioni contemporanee della giustizia. Turin: Giappichelli.
Teaching Unit 2
All students, whether attending or not, are required to study the texts listed under items (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5). In addition, non-attending students must study the texts listed under items (6), (7), (8) and (9).
(1) Nussbaum, M.C. (2010) Non per profitto. Perché le democrazie hanno bisogno della cultura umanistica. Bologna: Il Mulino, 2014, pp. 21-69 (Chapters 1-3 and the beginning of Chapter 4).
(2) Rothbard, M.N. (1973) Per una nuova libertà. Il manifesto libertario. Macerata: Liberilibri, 2004, pp. 169-197.*
(3) Illich, I. (1971) Descolarizzare la società. Una società senza scuola è possibile? Milan: Mimesis, 2019 (or any edition), Chapters 1 and 3.
(4) Foucault, M. (1974) 'La nascita della medicina sociale', in Il filosofo militante. Archivio Foucault. Vol. 2: Interventi, colloqui, interviste, 1971-1977. Milan: Feltrinelli, 2017.*
(5) Lecaldano, E. (2005) Bioetica. Le scelte morali. Rome-Bari: Laterza, Chapter 5, pp. 314-370.*
(6) Condorcet (1791) 'Prima memoria sull'istruzione pubblica', in Gli sguardi dell'illuminista. Politica e ragione nell'età dei lumi. Bari: Dedalo, 2009, pp. 87-91, 97-106, 113-121, 127-131.*
(7) Simoncini, A. and Longo, E. (2006) 'Art. 32', in Bifulco, R., Celotto, A. and Olivetti, M. (eds) Commentario alla Costituzione. Turin: UTET, pp. 655-669 (excluding pp. 660-661).*
(8) Negroni, A.A. (2020) 'Principio di libertà, principio del danno e malattia mentale', Dirittifondamentali.it, 2, pp. 1361-1410.*
(9) Negroni, A.A. (2025) 'Covid e sovranità sul proprio corpo', in Cappelluti, F., Cesaretti, P. and Laviano, F. (eds) Critica della ragione pandemica. COVID-19: ripensare la fenomenologia di un evento epocale. Milan: Meltemi, pp. 426-439.*
Assessment methods and Criteria
Different learning assessment methods and evaluation criteria will apply to attending and non-attending students.
To obtain attending status, students must attend at least 3/5 of the lectures (18 out of 30).
Attending students will be assessed based on their attendance and participation in class discussions, as well as their performance in compulsory written and oral exams. These exams will cover the content of the lectures and the texts indicated in the bibliography section of the syllabus.
Non-attending students will only be assessed based on compulsory written and oral exams. These will only cover the texts indicated in the bibliography section of the syllabus.
Further information on assessment methods and criteria will be published on the MyAriel course site before the start of the lessons.
To obtain attending status, students must attend at least 3/5 of the lectures (18 out of 30).
Attending students will be assessed based on their attendance and participation in class discussions, as well as their performance in compulsory written and oral exams. These exams will cover the content of the lectures and the texts indicated in the bibliography section of the syllabus.
Non-attending students will only be assessed based on compulsory written and oral exams. These will only cover the texts indicated in the bibliography section of the syllabus.
Further information on assessment methods and criteria will be published on the MyAriel course site before the start of the lessons.
Educational website(s)
Professor(s)
Reception:
The professor meets with students weekly, on campus or online. To make an appointment, please contact the professor by email.
On-campus meetings will be held in the professor's office on the second floor of the building overlooking via Passione (room 206). Online meetings will be held through Microsoft Teams.