The Game of Justice: A Theory of Individual Self-Government

Ruth Lane

Feb 2012 · State University of New York Press

About this ebook

The Game of Justice argues that justice is politics, that politics is something close to ordinary people and not located in an abstract and distant institution known as the State, and that the concept of the game provides a new way to appreciate the possibilities of creating justice. Justice, as a game, is played in a challenging environment that makes serious demands on the participants, in terms of self-knowledge and individual self-government, and also in terms of understanding social behavior. What the term game provides is a radical opening of all established institutions: the status quo is neither absolute nor inevitable, but is the result of past political controversy, a result created by the winners to express their victory. At the same time, the game of justice, like all games, is played over and over again, with winners and losers changing places over time. This serves as encouragement to past losers and provides a cautionary reminder to past winners.

About the author

Ruth Lane is Associate Professor of Political Science at American University and the author of Political Science in Theory and Practice: The 'Politics' Model and The Art of Comparative Politics.