Amartya Sen

Bio: Amartya Sen is an academic researcher from Harvard University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Poverty & Human rights. The author has an hindex of 149, co-authored 689 publications receiving 141907 citations. Previous affiliations of Amartya Sen include Trinity College, Dublin & University of Chicago.

Prisoner's dilemma and social justice: A reply

Abstract: In a recent notel prompted by a paper of ours published in Mind in I965, John Smyth first quotes, but does not dispute, our claim that a useful sense may be given to Rousseau's concept of the 'general will' by reference to the theory of non-zero-sum non-cooperative games, and then goes on to dispute our argument that 'a contract falling within a set of rules conforming to an "unambiguous general will" also falls within a set of rules "that satisfy the (Rawlsian) criterion of social justice" '. He argues that 'the problem of obtaining the object of the general will is essentially a problem not of obtaining a Rawlsian rule or contract, but a problem of enforcing a rule or a contract' (p. 427). It seems to us that Smyth's objection is based on a confusion between two different problems: (i) How can the 'general will', as we interpret it, be enforced? (2) Will an 'unambiguous general will' pass Rawls's test of 'social justice'? Smyth is interested in (i), and is accordingly led to the difficulties of devising enforceable sanctions in the case of the Prisoner's Dilemma. He seems, however, to be under the impression that this somehow undermines our affirmative answer to question (2). This is clearly a mistake, since Smyth himself agrees subsequently that 'a just contract is not necessarily an enforceable contract' (p. 430). It would, if our argument required it, be perfectly possible to envisage the parties to Prisoner's Dilemma being subject to an automatic penalty device of the form of a Doomsday Machine. But even if it were not, it still would not follow that their contract embodying the 'general will' would fail to meet Rawls's criterion of social justice. The relation of a contractual theory of fairness and justice in the manner of Rawls to the notion of the general will rests precisely on the supposition that parties to the contract would recognise it to be to their interest to make some sort of firm commitment in advance. Mr. Smyth says nothing which invalidates our claim that men in Rawls's 'original position ' 2 would agree, among other things, not to confess if they were in due course to find themselves in a 'Prisoner's Dilemma' situation, and should therefore accept that if they were to confess they would be behaving unjustly. Enforcement is a separate issue altogether.

Amartya Sen's Utopia

Abstract: The present work is in many ways more ambitious than the monograph on economic inequality that he had published some 20 years ago.' Although he had already shown his interest in larger philosophical issues, that book was more narrowly addressed to problems in the measurement of economic inequality. Its argument was presented in a more formal style, and it had too many equations and diagrams to hold the attention of the general reader. This work is presented in a more mature and accommodating style, and, although nobody should regard it as bedside reading, it will undoubtedly have a wider appeal than the earlier one.

On Happiness and Human Potentials: A Review of Research on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being

Abstract: ▪ Abstract Well-being is a complex construct that concerns optimal experience and functioning. Current research on well-being has been derived from two general perspectives: the hedonic approach, which focuses on happiness and defines well-being in terms of pleasure attainment and pain avoidance; and the eudaimonic approach, which focuses on meaning and self-realization and defines well-being in terms of the degree to which a person is fully functioning. These two views have given rise to different research foci and a body of knowledge that is in some areas divergent and in others complementary. New methodological developments concerning multilevel modeling and construct comparisons are also allowing researchers to formulate new questions for the field. This review considers research from both perspectives concerning the nature of well-being, its antecedents, and its stability across time and culture.

Agricultural sustainability and intensive production practices

Abstract: A doubling in global food demand projected for the next 50 years poses huge challenges for the sustainability both of food production and of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and the services they provide to society. Agriculturalists are the principal managers of global useable lands and will shape, perhaps irreversibly, the surface of the Earth in the coming decades. New incentives and policies for ensuring the sustainability of agriculture and ecosystem services will be crucial if we are to meet the demands of improving yields without compromising environmental integrity or public health.

Dynamics of dark energy

Abstract: We review in detail a number of approaches that have been adopted to try and explain the remarkable observation of our accelerating universe. In particular we discuss the arguments for and recent progress made towards understanding the nature of dark energy. We review the observational evidence for the current accelerated expansion of the universe and present a number of dark energy models in addition to the conventional cosmological constant, paying particular attention to scalar field models such as quintessence, K-essence, tachyon, phantom and dilatonic models. The importance of cosmological scaling solutions is emphasized when studying the dynamical system of scalar fields including coupled dark energy. We study the evolution of cosmological perturbations allowing us to confront them with the observation of the Cosmic Microwave Background and Large Scale Structure and demonstrate how it is possible in principle to reconstruct the equation of state of dark energy by also using Supernovae Ia observational data. We also discuss in detail the nature of tracking solutions in cosmology, particle physics and braneworld models of dark energy, the nature of possible future singularities, the effect of higher order curvature terms to avoid a Big Rip singularity, and approaches to modifying gravity which leads to a late-time accelerated expansion without recourse to a new form of dark energy.