Author Meets Critics: David Williams' "The Greatest of All Plagues"

Session Submission Type: Author meet critics

Session Description

It is probably not news that economic inequality has been steadily growing for the past few decades – in the United States and in much of the developed world. There is no shortage of data confirming this well-documented trend. There is less consensus as to what this all means for political and social life. In his forthcoming Princeton University Press book, leading political theorist David Lay Williams tries to make sense of the various political implications of inequality through Plato, Jesus, Hobbes, Rousseau, Smith, J.S. Mill, and Karl Marx.

According to Williams, the robust debate surrounding inequality has too often ignored some of the most compelling voices on the topic. Economists and normative philosophers tend to dominate these discussions. It is now fashionable to argue that inequality is only a problem if it leads to poverty and starvation. That is, the problem is not inequality but poverty.

The aforementioned philosophers, Williams contends, add much to our understanding of inequality. Each approaches it in his unique way and highlights issues and problems that escape much modern thinking.

This panel will examine Williams' effort to broaden our understanding of inequality through the history of political thought.

Sub Unit

• Division 1: Political Thought and Philosophy

Chair

• Genevieve Rousseliere Duke University

Presenters

• David Lay Williams DePaul University

• Michael L. McLendon California State University, Los Angeles

• Terrell Carver University of Bristol

• Tae-Yeoun Keum University of California, Santa Barbara

• Michelle Schwarze University of Wisconsin, Madison