Real Freedom for All: What (if Anything) Can Justify Capitalism?Capitalist societies are full of unacceptable inequalities. Freedom is of paramount importance. These two convictions are widely shared across the world. Yet they often seem in complete contradiction with each other. Fighting inequality jeopardizes freedom; taking freedom seriously boosts inequality. What can be done? Can the circle be squared? Philippe Van Parijs offers a ground breaking solution to the dilemma. Assessing and rejecting the claims of both socialism and conventional capitalism, he presents a clear and compelling alternative vision of the just society: a capitalist society offering a substantial unconditional basic income to all its members. Moving beyond pure political theory, Van Parijs shows what his ideal of free society means in the real world by drawing out its controversial policy implications. Real Freedom for All will be essential reading for anyone concerned about the just society and the welfare state as we move into the twenty first century. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 3 | |
2 THE HIGHEST SUSTAINABLE BASIC INCOME | 30 |
3 UNDOMINATED DIVERSITY | 58 |
4 JOBS AS ASSETS | 89 |
5 EXPLOITATION VERSUS REAL FREEDOM | 133 |
6 CAPITALISM JUSTIFIED? | 186 |
Notes | 234 |
| 299 | |
| 319 | |
| 323 | |
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Common terms and phrases
advantage amount approach appropriate argument assets basic income benefit capitalist capitalist exploitation characterization claim compensation competitive conception consists constraint contribution cost counterfactual Crazy criterion definition of exploitation discussion distribution disutility Dworkin earning power economic effect efficiency egalitarian employment rents entitled envy-freeness equal ethical example external endowments favour formal freedom free society given grant hence implications inequalities justice labour power labour value latter Lazy legitimate less level of basic leximin real freedom libertarian maximin maximization means of production negative income tax notion objection one's opportunities opportunity-set optimal capitalism optimal socialism Parijs people's perfectly competitive person possible preferences principle profits proposed public ownership rate of exploitation Rawls's real-freedom-for-all real-libertarian reason redistribution relevant restriction Roemer self-ownership sense share situation socialist socio-economic regime someone strategy surplus product tastes transfer unconditional income undominated diversity unequal unequal exchange unfair variant wage workers