Joel da Silva

Research Interests:

Political philosophy, Rawls, the ideal/nonideal theory distinction, rectificatory justice, affirmative action 

Biography:

• BA, Honours (Philosophy) Wilfrid Laurier University 
• MA (Philosophy) Toronto Metropolitan University 

Joel’s research focuses primarily on bridging the gap between ideal and nonideal theories of justice.  More precisely, he’s attempting to develop a broadly Rawlsian theory of nonideal justice that incorporates several plausible yet rivalrous precepts of nonideal justice (e.g., 'do whatever most efficiently realizes ideal justice’ and ‘fairly distribute the costs of realizing ideal justice’) into a single, coherent scheme. With this theory, he hopes to systematically address the question of whether, in what form and under what conditions affirmative action for racialized minorities is compatible with a Rawlsian view of justice.