Formulating Instrumentalism

Abstract

Abstract Liberal instrumentalism claims that legitimacy depends on justice, similar to how consequentialism claims that rightness depends on goodness. This chapter considers some issues how one might formulate this relationship more precisely, coming to the result that: (1) legitimate institutions should best promote justice within feasible limits, instead of just being good enough at promoting justice (maximizing instrumentalism); (2) there is no privileged level on which instrumentalism applies, instead of setting a specific focus on, say, constitutional essentials (omnifocal instrumentalism); and (3) legitimate institutions best promote justice relative to the best theory of justice and the best available empirical evidence (mixed instrumentalism). Some problems with the possibility that justice’s scope might be limited are also discussed.