Jonathan Wolff
Teaching I Unpublished papers I Guardian column I Estonian book launch I BBC Clips
Photo by Steve Pyke
Steve Pyke
Photo Session
Professor of Philosophy
University College London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 3067
j.wolff@ucl.ac.uk
GENERAL
Born
1959, BA (UCL) 1983, MPhil (UCL) 1985, Harkness Fellow Harvard
University 1985-6.
Lecturer in Philosophy UCL 1986, Senior Lecturer 1994, Reader 1996,
Head of Department 1997-2008, Professor 2000, Dean Faculty of Arts and Humanities, 2012.
Member: Nuffield Council
on Bioethics (2008-)
Trustee: Responsible
Gambling Trust (2003-9, 2012-)
Member: Homicide Review Group (2005-8, 2011-)
Director UCL Centre for
Philosophy, Justice and Health (2008-12)
Member: Advisory Council Demos
(2009-11)
Joint Series Editor (with Tim Crane) Routledge
Philosophy Guidebooks (1992-2011)
Member: Brain
Science, Addiction and Drugs Working Group, Academy of Medical Sciences
(2006-8)
Member: Nuffield
Council Working Party on Research Involving Animals (2004-5)
Secretary: British Philosophical
Association (2003-7)
Honorary Secretary: Aristotelian
Society (2000-7)
Member: Gambling Review Body (2000-2001)
Editor: Proceedings
of the Aristotelian Society (1994-2000)
Founding Director: Philosophy Programme in the University
of London School of Advanced Study.(1995-1998)
CURRENT RESEARCH
1. THE HUMAN RIGHT TO HEALTH
A short book, for Norton Press, in their Global Ethics series, in conjunction with Amnesty International, was published in 2012, with a paperback edition in 2013. Further papers are listed below.
2. ETHICS AND PUBLIC POLICY: A PHILOSOPHICAL ENQUIRY
This book, published by Routledge in May 2011, brings together published and unpublished work in a number of areas of public policy, such as the regulation of drugs, animal experimentation, gambling, and the regulation of safety. The point of the book is not only to shed light on these areas, but also to consider the appropriate methodology for connecting philosophy and public policy. For a review in NDPR click here.
3. G.A. COHEN: LECTURES ON THE HISTORY OF MORAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
Michael Otsuka is editing three volumes of G.A. Cohen's papers, the first two of which are now in print. I have edited the third volume, bringing together mostly previously unpublished work based on Jerry's lectures, to be published in late 2013. It will include my memoir of Jerry for the Proceedings of the British Academy which can also be downloaded here.
4. DISADVANTAGE (With Avner de-Shalit, Political Science, Hebrew University)
How should we understand the nature of disadvantage? How can societies identify the least advantaged? What policies should they adopt to deal with disadvantage? The resulting book, Disadvantage, was published by Oxford University Press, in May 2007, with a paperback edition in 2013. A transcript of an introduction to the project, delivered at the launch of the Oxford Centre for the Study of Social Justice is available here.
5. CENTRE FOR PHILOSOPHY, JUSTICE AND HEALTH
The Centre for Philosophy, Justice and Health is a partnership between many UCL departments, including Philosophy, Political Science, Laws, the Medical School, and Epidemiology. Its main aim is to provide a UCL based focus for research into distributive justice and health, through conferences, workshops, papers, public engagement and teaching.
6. PRIORITY
IN PRACTICE
7. THE ETHICS OF RISK
I was
Principal Investigator for an AHRC Project, running for four years, on The
Ethics of Risk.
It commenced in October 2008. This project is a successor to work conducted
for the Railway industry on the puzzle of why it is that the railways in the
UK have generated such a poor reputation for safety when by all statistical
measures the risk of death or injury when travelling by train is very low
indeed, especially when compared to travelling by road. My initial discussion
of this issue is contained in a report called Railway
Safety and the Ethics of the Tolerability of Risk. This in turn led
to a research project with Helene Joffe in UCL's Psychology Department in
which 80 members of the public have been interviewed so that we can form of
picture of public understandings and impressions of railway safety. The
report on this work has been completed although not yet published.
A more
general paper on this area, entitled Risk, Fear,
Blame, and Shame: The Regulation of Public Safety is published in Economics and Philosophy.
A paper on
the idea of a statistical life, entitled What is the value of
preventing a fatility? is published in a collection on Philosophy and
Risk, edited by Tim Lewens (Routledge 2007). A further output from this project is a survey
paper co-written with Madeleine Hayenhjelm, published in The European Journal of Philosophy called
The Moral Problem of Risk Impositions
(online subscription required)
8. VALUATION OF LIFE AND HEALTH
This work, with Shepley Orr, is a continuation of the Ethics of Risk project. So far it has led to a report, written for the UK Government Inter-departmental Group on the valuation of life and health. Further work, written with Shepley Orr and Stephen Morris, is entitled 'What Values Should Count in HTA for New Medicines Under Value Based Pricing in the UK?'.
2013
G.A. Cohen, Lectures on the Hisotry of Moral and Political Philosophy (ed.) Princeton University Press.
'Equality as A Basic Demand of Justice', in The Norton Introduction to Philosophy, ed. Alex Byrne, Joshua Cohen, Gideon Rosen, Seana Shiffrin. Forthcoming
'The Content of the Human Right to Health', in The Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights, ed. Rowan Cruft, Matthew Liao, and Massimo Renzo, Oxford University Press. Forthcoming.
'Need for Health and Need for Health Care', with Gry Wester, Online Encyclopedia of Health Economics Forthcoming.
'Reconciling Cost-Effectiveness with the Rule of Rescue: The Institutional Division of Moral Labour, with Shepley Orr, Theory and Decision. Forthcoming.
'A Response to Slovic and Vastfjall', in Essays in Behavioural Public Policy ed. Adam Oliver, Cambridge University Press. Forthcoming.
'Testing, Treating and Trusting', in Statistical versus Identified Lives ed. G. Cohen, N. Daniels, and N. Eyal, Oxford University Press.
'The History of Analytic Political Philosophy' in The Oxford Handbook to the History of Analytic Philosophy ed. M. Beaney. Forthcoming Download as Word File
'Scanlon on Material and Social Inequality', Journal of Moral Philosophy (forthcoming) Download as Word file
'On Fertile Functionings: A Response to Martha Nussbaum', with Avner de-Shalit, Journal of Human Development and Capabilities Vol 14, pp. 161-165.
2012
The Human Right to Health,
W.W.Norton
'The Demands of the Human Right to Health', Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society: Supplementary Volume
Vol 86, pp. 217-237. Download as word file
'Health
Risk and Health Security', in Medicine and Social Justice: Essays on
Distribution and Care (2nd Edition) ed. R. Rhodes, M. Battin
and A Silvers
'Equality'
in The
Oxford Handbook to the History of Political Philosophy ed G. Klosko,
Oxford University Press.
'Global
Justice and Health: The Basis of the Global Health Duty' in Global Justice
and Bioethics ed. E. Emanuel and J. Mullian, Oxford University Press pp. 78-101.
'Evaluating interventions in health: a reconciliatory approach', with S. Edwards, S. Richmond, S. Orr, and
G. Rees. Bioethics, 26 (9), 455-463.
'The Moral Problem of Risk Imposition: A Survey of the Literature' with Madeleine Hayenhjelm
European Journal of Philosophy
(online early)
'Dementia, death and advance directives', Health Economics, Policy and Law , 7 (4), 499-506.
2011
Ethics and Public Policy Routledge
'Public health, genomics and autonomy * Comment on Dr R.L. Zimmern's Genomics and individuals in public health practice:
are we luddites or can we meet the challenge?'
Journal of Public Health 33: 483-484.
'How Should Governments Respond to
the Social Determinants of Health?' Preventative Medicine.
'G.A. Cohen' Proceedings of the British Academy, Biographical Memoirs of Fellows pp. 49-67 Download as word file
'Five Types of Risky Situation' Law Technology
and Innovation (2) 151-163
Download as word file
'The Human
Right to Health', in Global Health Ethics ed S. Benatar and G. Brock, Cambridge
University Press. Cambridge University Press
'The
Apparent Asymmetry of Responsibility' (with Avner de-Shalit) in Responsibility and Distributive
Justice ed. C. Knight and Z. Stemplowska, Oxford University Press, pp.
216-229.
'What Values Should Count in HTA
for New Medicines Under Value Based Pricing in the UK?' with Shepley Orr and Stephen Morris, Download.
2010
Southern Africa: 2020 Vision
(ed, with Mark Hannam) London: e9 Publishing.
'Fairness,
Respect and the Egalitarian Ethos Revisited', Journal of Ethics Download as Word File
'The Social
Gradient in Health: How Fair Retirement Could Make a Difference', with Gry
Wester Public
Health Ethics Download
2009
'Managing the Health Effects of Climate Change',
The Lancet,
Costello, A, M. Abbas, A. Allen, S. Ball, S. Bell, R. Bellamy, S Friel, N. Croce,
A. Johnson, M. Kett, M. Lee, C. Levy, M. Maslin, D. McCoy, B. McGuire, H.
Montgomery, D. Napier, C. Pagel, J. Patel, J.A. Puppim de Olivera, N.
Redcliffe, H. Rees, D. Rogger, J. Scott, J. Stephenson, J. Twigg, J. Wolff
and C. Patterson, 373: 1693-1733.
'Disability Among Equals', in Disability and Disadvantage ed K. Brownlee and A. Cureton, Oxford University
Press, pp 114-137. Download as Word File
'Disability, Status Enhancement, Personal
Enhancement, and Resource Allocation', Economics and Philosophy 25: 49-68. Download
'Cognitive Disability in a Society of Equals',
Metaphilosophy 40: 402-15.
Download as Word File
'Global Justice and Norms of Co-operation: The
"Layers of Justice" View', in Hillel Steiner and the Anatomy of Justiceed S.
de Wijze, M. Kramer and I. Carter, New York: Routledge pp. 34-50.
Download as Word File
'Risk, Disadvantage and the Social
Determinants of Health',Public Health Ethics 2: 214-223 Download
Cross Sector Weighting and the Values of QALYs and VPFs: A
Report for the Inter-Departmental Group on the Valuation of Life and Health,
with Shepley Orr. Download
'Social Justice and Public Policy:
A View From Political Philosophy', in Social Justice and Public Policy ed. C.
Craig, T. Burchardt and D. Gordon, Policy Press.
'Social Justice', in Issues in
Political Theory ed. C. MacKinnon, Oxford University Press.
Disadvantage (with Avner de-Shalit) Oxford University Press
'What is
the Value of Preventing a Fatality?' in Risk: Philosophical Perspectives ed Tim Lewens, Routledge. Download as Word File
'Harm and
Hypocrisy: Have We Got It Wrong on Drugs?', in Public Policy Research. Download as Word File
'Market
Failure, Common Interests, and the Titanic Puzzle', in New Essays in Equality ed. K.
Lippert-Rasmussen and N. Holtung Oxford University Press. Download as Word File
'Making the
World Safe for Utilitarianism', Royal Institute of Philosophy, Annual Volume.
Download as Word File
'Equality:
The Recent History of An Idea', Journal of Moral Philosophy 4: 125-136. Download as Word File
2006
An Introduction to Political Philosophy,
Revised Edition, Oxford University Press
First edition
1996, 13 impressions
Orthodox Chinese
translation, Wu-Nan Book Company of Taiwan 1998.
Simplified
Chinese translation, O.U.P. Hong Kong, 2001, new translation 2008, Jilin
Publishing Group.
Japanese
translation 2001.
Spanish
translation, Editorial Ariel 2001.
Portuguese
translation, Gradiva, 2004.
Estonian
translation 2005.
Croatian
translation 2008.
'Liberty,
Utility and Economic Competition', Virginia
Law Review. Download as Word File
'Risk, Fear, Blame, Shame and
the Regulation of Public Safety', Economics
and Philosophy Download
'Models of
Distributive Justice', in Empathy
and Fairness, Novartis Foundation, pp 165-170. Download as Word File
'Economism', (with Dirk Haubrich) in Oxford Handbook of Public Policy ed. M.
Moran, M. Rein and R. Goodin , pp. 746-770. Download as Word File
'Disputed
Land Claims: A Response to Weatherson and to Bou-Habib and Olsaretti', (with Hillel Steiner) Analysis. Download as Word File
2004
'Training, Perfectionism and Fairness', Journal of Applied Philosophy 21: 285-95.
2003
'The
Message of Redistribution', Catalyst Trust Working Paper.
'A
General Framework for Resolving Disputed Land Claims'Analysis 63: 188-9
'The Dilemma of Desert', in Desert and Justice ed S.Olsaretti OUP 219-232.
'Marx', in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
'Scanlon
on Well-Being', Ratio 16: 333-345
'Economic Justice', in
The Oxford Handbook to Practical Ethics ed., Hugh La Follette
'Social
Ethos and The Dynamics of Toleration', in The Culture of Toleration in Diverse
Socities ed. D. Castiglione and C. McKinnon, Manchester University Press.
2002
Why
Read Marx Today? Oxford University Press.
Paperback 2003, Second impression 2005
Portuguese
translation 2003
Malayalam
translation 2005
Korean
translation 2006
Chinese
translation 2007
'Addressing
Disadvantage and the Human Good', Journal of Applied Philosophy, 207-218, Japanese translation 2006.
'Railway
Safety and the Ethics of the Tolerability of Risk', Rail Safety and Standards Board.
'Are we
good enough for democracy?', Think.
'Economic
Competition. Should We Care About the Losers?', in Hugh La Follette ed Ethics in Practice.
'Contractualism
and the Virtues', in Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy
5: 120-132. Download as Word File
2001
'Levelling Down', in Challenges to Democracy: The PSA Yearbook 2000, ed., K Dowding, J. Hughes and H. Margetts, Palgrave pp.18-32. Download as Word File
2000
'The Morality of Sales Tax', Analysis
The
Proper Ambition of Science, edited wth Martin Stone, Routledge
1999
Political Thought edited with Michael Rosen, Oxford University Press, 13th impression 2010
'Marx
and Exploitation', Journal of
Ethics, 3: 105-120
'Tin Genes
and Compensation: Reply to Steiner', in Justine Burley ed. Revolution
and Human Rights: The 1998 Oxford Amnesty Lectures (Oxford: Oxford University
Press) pp. 151-157.
1998
'Fairness,
Respect, and the Egalitarian Ethos', Philosophy and Public Affairs 27: 97-122. Download (JSTOR)
Translated
into Chinese 2006.
'John
Rawls: Liberal Democracy Restated', in Liberal Democracy and Its Critics ed A.
Carter and G. Stokes, Polity Press, 118-134. Reprinted in John Rawls: Critical Assessments , ed. C.
Kukathas Routledge 2003
'Mill,
Indecency and the Liberty Principle',Utilitas 10. 1-16. Reprinted in MillŐs Political and Legal Philosophy, ed. C.L.
Chen, Ashgate 2000.Download as Word File
'Libertarianism', and
'Robert Nozick', in The Routledge
Encyclopedia of Philosophy ed. E.J. Craig.
'The Ethics
of Competition', in The
Legal and Moral Aspects of International Trade, Freedom and
Trade, volume III ed. A. Qureshi, G. Parry, and H. Steiner (London,
Routledge), 82-96. Download as Word File
1997
'Property, Liberty and
Freedom', Critical Review 11: 345-357.
Critical Notice of 'Hillel Steiner, An Essay on
Rights', International
Journal of Philosophical Studies 306-322.
1996
An Introduction to Political Philosophy, Oxford University Press, 1996. 13th impression 2005. Replaced by revised edition 2006.
'The Problem of Ideology', Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, Supplementary Volume LLX 1996, pp. 229-241.
'Anarchism
and Scepticism', in For and Against the State ed. John T. Sanders and Jan Narveson (Lanham. MD,
Rowman and Littlefield, 1996), pp. 99-118. Download as Word File
'Rational,
Fair, and Reasonable', Utilitas 1996, pp. 263-271. Reprinted in Impartiality, Neutrality
and Justice: re-reading Brian Barry's Justice as Impartiality, ed. P.J. Kelly
(Edinburgh University Press, 1998), pp. 35-43. Download as Word File
'John
Stuart Mill, Liberalism and Offence', QWERTY (France), 1996, pp. 249-254.
'Libertarismo
e utopia nel pensiero di Robert Nozick',Studi Perugina
(Italy), 1 1996 pp. 85-98. Reprinted as 'Robert Nozick, Libertarianism, and
Utopia',Skepsis (Athens)
1998.
'Integration,
Justice, and Exclusion', in Principles of Justice and the European Union ed.
U. Bernitz and Par Hallstrom (Juristforlaget, Stockholm, 1996) pp 15-26.
'John
Stuart Mill and Free Thought',The Ethical Record
1995
'Pluralistic Models of
Political Obligation', Philosophica(Belgium), 56, 1995, pp. 7-27. Reprinted
in M. Baghramian and A. Ingram (ed) Pluralism Routledge 2000.
'Political
Obligation, Fairness and Independence', Ratio (New Series) 8, 1995 pp. 87-99.Download
'Autonomy', 'Isaiah Berlin', The Encyclopedia of
Democracy, Congressional Quarterly Books, 1995, pp. 106-8, 124-6.
1994
'Hobbes and the Motivations of Social Contract Theory, International
Journal of Philosophical Studies , 2: 271-286.
'Social and Political Philosophy in Britain Today:
Socialism, Liberalism, Particularity, Globalization',Filozofia (Slovakia) 49: 195-202 (translated into Slovakian).
'Democratic Voting and the Mixed-Motivation
Problem', Analysis pp. 193-6.
1993
'Hume, Bentham, and The Social Contract', Utilitas
1992
'Playthings of Alien Forces', Cogito, pp. 35-41.
'Not Bargaining
For The Welfare State', Analysis, 52: 118-125
1991
Robert Nozick: Property Justice and the Minimal
State, Polity Press and Stanford University Press, 1991. 3rd Impression 2003.
Daidalos (Swedish translation) 1993. Keisho Shobo (Japanese translation)
1994. Hei Longjiang People's Publishing House (Simplified Chinese
Translation), 1999.
'What is
the Problem of Political Obligation?', Proceedings of the Aristotelian
Society, Vol XCI: 153-169.
1989
'Morality for Archangels', Critical Notice of'Hare and Critics' (ed. Seanor and Fotion) Philosophical Books pp. 201-9.
1986
'Barnett, Bargaining and the Nash Solution', Nous Vol XX: 493-506.