Overview
Presents the construction of the first-ever formal dynamic model of rational deliberation about ends
Offers a comprehensive social-choice theoretic account of individual freedom
Presents an original account of the moral justification of State authority
Combines philosophical argument with formal techniques drawn from rational choice theory and economic theory
Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
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Table of contents (16 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Liberty: Autonomy
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Front Matter
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Liberty: Freedom
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Front Matter
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Justice: Distribution
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Front Matter
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Justice: Authority
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Front Matter
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Keywords
- Autonomy and Practical Reasoning
- Autonomy and Rational Deliberation about Ends
- Concept of Individual Freedom
- Neo-Aristotelian Theory of Individual Liberty
- Liberty, Equality and Justice
- Theory of Equal Liberty
- Social Market Economy
- Equal Liberty
- Moral Reasons and Moral Duties
- Moral Duties to Moral Rights
- Moral Justification of State Authority
- Limits of State Authority
- Good life and valuable functioning
- Decision Theory
About this book
This book develops an original and comprehensive theory of political liberalism. It defends bold new accounts of the nature of autonomy and individual liberty, the content of distributive justice, and the justification for the authority of the State. The theory that emerges integrates contemporary progressive and pluralistic liberalism into a broadly Aristotelian intellectual tradition.
The early chapters of the book challenge the traditional conservative idea of individual liberty—the liberty to dispose of one’s property as one wishes—and replace it with a new one, according to which liberty is of equal value to all persons, regardless of economic position.
The middle chapters present an original theory of socio-economic justice, arguing that a society in which every citizen enjoys an equal share of liberty should be the distributive goal of the State. It is argued that this goal is incompatible with the existence of large disparities in wealth and economic power, and that (contra conservative and libertarian economic arguments) such disparities are harmful to the overall health of national and global economies.
The final chapters provide an original argument that the State has both a moral duty and a moral right to pursue this program of socio-economic justice (contra conservative and libertarian moral arguments), and that only the measures necessary to implement this program lie within the morally justifiable limits on the State’s authority.
Though primarily a political work, it spans most areas of practical philosophy—including ethical, social, and legal theory; and meta-ethics, moral psychology, and action theory. And though fundamentally a philosophical work, it incorporates research from a number of fields—including decision theory, economics, political science, and jurisprudence; primatology, neuroscience, and psychology; and history, anthropology, sociology, and ecology—and is sure to be of interest to a wide range of scholars and students.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
James Sherman is a lecturer in the Program in Ethics, Society, and Law at Trinity College, University of Toronto. He has been a research fellow of the University of Toronto’s Centre for Ethics, and the recipient of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada fellowship. He holds degrees from the University of Chicago and the University of Texas at Austin, and has published articles in the areas of moral, political, and legal philosophy.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Renewing Liberalism
Authors: James A. Sherman
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28277-0
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-28276-3Published: 26 April 2016
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-80313-5Published: 22 April 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-28277-0Published: 19 April 2016
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIX, 516
Number of Illustrations: 2 b/w illustrations
Topics: Political Philosophy, Social Policy, Political Theory, Theories of Law, Philosophy of Law, Legal History