Graduation Year
2025
Date of Submission
4-2025
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Philosophy and Public Affairs
Reader 1
Professor Paul Hurley
Terms of Use & License Information
Abstract
In this thesis I explore a theory of political obligation and justice described by Thomas Nagel, and examine the implications of his account for the demands of global justice. I begin by defining political obligation and outlining three families of morally relevant duties, voluntary duties, associative duties, and general duties, and explain how political obligation can be thought of as each type of duty. I claim that political obligation is best thought of as an associative duty, and present an associative account of political obligation and justice articulated by Nagel. After analyzing Nagel’s account, I suggest that an adherence to his theory of justice may justify global demands for justice. In particular, using analysis from Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò I suggest that the extreme level of global interdependence makes the rules of global institutions coercively imposed, and justifies subjects of those rules in demanding that those rules treat them fairly. Next, I consider how demands for global justice grounded in an associative approach differ from those grounded in a general duties approach. Finally, I argue that the associative approach offers a richer and more acceptable justification for why demands of justice are global.
Recommended Citation
Otero, Rafael, "An Associative Account of Political Obligation and Its Implications for Global Justice" (2025). CMC Senior Theses. 3966.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/3966
