Abstract
In this paper, I attempt-to use the term coined by Wallerstein-"unthinking" (i.e. critically rethinking the tacit and persistent presuppositions of) certain current public policies. For this purpose, I employ three sets of texts in particular. The first set I consider is Yuichi SHIONOYA's Economy and Morality (2002) and the subsequent debate that followed its publication. Shionoya adopts a subtle form of the perfectionist position and argues for social security reform in Japan, and the subsequent controversy concerns fundamental issues such as which ethic is suitable for the reconstruction of a welfare state: the ethic of care or the ethic of excellence. The second set I consider is that of Jon ELSTER, which adopts an explanatory approach to social justice in Local Justice (1992), and that of Haruki MIYOSHI, which follows this line when proposing "the socialization of nursing care within concrete relationships." I emphasize the significance of Miyoshi's contrast between the socialization of caring powers and that of caring relationships. The third set I consider is Liam MURPHY and Thomas NAGEL's The Myth of Ownership (2002). They insist that societal fairness, rather than tax fairness, should be the value that guides tax policy. I suggest that their notion of "societal fairness" is compatible with the progressive expenditure tax system put forth by Toshiaki TACHIBANAKI.
