I re-read Eric Mack’s “Blind Injustice” [updated link], an excellent overview and critique of John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice. Rawls’s book is the most influential work of academic political philosophy in the last half-century, and Mack’s essay is the best short analysis I know of. By contrast: The moral basis for Rand’s liberalism, in […]
Philosopher Eric Mack on John Rawls Read More »
We’re posting serially at thinkspot the transcripts of my Open College podcasts. Here’s the eleventh: OC11: Is Envy Worse in a Free Society? “Is a free and open society more susceptible to the dangers of envy? It’s an interesting question because most often the envy charge is used against socialism, or any kind of outcome-egalitarian
Is Envy Worse in a Free Society? [Open College transcript] Read More »
A new episode of my podcast series, produced by Possibly Correct out of Toronto. Audio: iTunes Stitcher YouTube Topics: Envy-charge against socialism // Envy-charge against liberal capitalism // Rousseau and Rawls on how to combat envy // So: Is envy worse or better in a free society? // Envy as a worse anti-social problem in earlier societies //
Is Envy Worse in a Free Society? [Open College series] Read More »
At the Voluntaryist site, Keith Knight asked me seven questions: 1. What is liberal capitalism, and why is it a moral system? 2. What about the poor? What about bleeding-heart libertarianism, and why should poor people favor liberal capitalism? 3. What is wealth, and how can we accurately measure it? 4. What is the Frankfurt
Don’t Tread on Anyone — Keith Knight’s interview with me Read More »
At The Economist web log, Will Wilkinson has a good piece on Rawlsian egalitarian arguments against free speech. The firing of Juan Williams makes perfect sense in that framework, as does the left’s outrage over the Citizens United decision. Wilkinson rightly notes the principled outcome of that framework: “it seems to me that this conception
Wilkinson on free speech versus equality Read More »