Laurea honoris causa in economia, politica e istituzioni internazionali al Premio Nobel Amartya Sen (Universita di Pavia, 17 giugno 2005)
In: Il politico: rivista italiana di scienze politiche ; rivista quardrimestrale, Volume 70, Issue 2, p. 311-328
ISSN: 0032-325X
The ceremony of conferring a doctor honoris causa degree in economics, politics, & international institutions on Amartya Sen, held at the U of Pavia on 17 June 2005, is related. The opening speech by this university's rector, Roberto Schmid, is followed by Enrica Chiappero Martinetti & Salvatore Veca, who present the conferee's scholarly contributions; the former's laudatio (laudation) recognizes him as a laureate of the Nobel Prize in economics for 1998 & outlines his theory of social choices, conception of human development, & research in the relationship between human rights & democracy. In his acceptance lecture, Sen discusses the treatment of persons with physical or mental disability in theories of ethics & justice. He critiques utilitarianism, the opulence-based approach, & John Rawls's (1971) theory of justice, pointing out their shortcomings in addressing the problem of fairness in the treatment of the disabled in contemporary societies. It is argued that the neglect of this issue by the main schools of thought in theories of justice resulted in biased practical policies & inaction in fulfilling the social obligation toward the disabled. Distinguishing between earning handicap & conversion (ie, the ability to convert income & resources into good living) handicap, the disabled are argued to be severely impaired by the combination of the two. References. Z. Dubiel