Theories of social justice are necessarily abstract, reaching beyond the particular and the immediate to the general and the timeless. Yet such theories, addressing the world and its problems, must respond to the real and changing dilemmas of the day. A brilliant work of practical philosophy, "Frontiers of Justice" is dedicated to this proposition. Taking up three urgent problems of social justice neglected by current theories and thus harder to tackle in practical terms and everyday life, Martha Nussbaum seeks a theory of social justice that can guide us to a richer, more responsive approach to social cooperation. The idea of the social contract--especially as developed in the work of John Rawls--is one of the most powerful approaches to social justice in the Western tradition. But as Nussbaum demonstrates, even Rawls's theory, suggesting a contract for mutual advantage among approximate equals, cannot address questions of social justice posed by unequal parties. How, for instance, can we extend the equal rights of citizenship--education, health care, political rights and liberties--to those with physical and mental disabilities? How can we extend justice and dignified life conditions to all citizens of the world? And how, finally, can we bring our treatment of nonhuman animals into our notions of social justice? Exploring the limitations of the social contract in these three areas, Nussbaum devises an alternative theory based on the idea of "capabilities." She helps us to think more clearly about the purposes of political cooperation and the nature of political principles--and to look to a future of greater justice for all.

玛莎•C•纳斯鲍姆（Martha C Nussbaum），美国哲学家，人文与科学院院士，当前美国最杰出、最活跃的公共知识分子之一。现为芝加哥大学法学、伦理学佛罗因德（Ernst Freund）杰出贡献教授，同时受聘于该校7个院（系）。2003年荣列英国《新政治家》杂志评出的“我们时代的十二位伟大思想家”之一；2012年获西班牙阿斯图里亚斯王子奖，被称为“当代哲学界最具创新力和最有影响力的声音之一”；她已经出版的17部专著涉及古典学、政治哲学、法学、博雅教育、女性与人类发展等众多领域，最具代表性的著作有：《善的脆弱性》、《诗性正义》 。