Real Freedom for All: What (if anything) can justify capitalism? (Oxford Politician Theory)

What is a just society? It is a society in which the real freedom to do whatever one might wish to do is fairly distributed among all. This conception of social justice combines freedom, equality, and efficiency. It justifies granting to each citizen an unconditional basic income at the highest sustainable level consistent with two conditions: respect for everyone's formal freedom and an appropriate level of resources target at the less able. Is such an unconditional basic income not a recipe for exploitation of the hard workers by the lazy? Not in any sense that makes exploitation intrinsically unjust. Can a higher unconditional basic income be sustainably achieved under capitalism than under socialism? There are empirical and theoretical reasons to think so. But only the effective presence of such a powerful and liberating distributive mechanism 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 Seem To Be Completely Contradictory With Each Other. Fighting Inequality Jeopardizes Freedom, And Taking Freedom Seriously Boosts Inequality. Can This Conflict Be Resolved? In This Ground-breaking Book, Philippe Van Parijs Sets Out A New And Compelling Case For A Just Society. 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 And Unconditional Basic Income To All Its Members. Not Just An Exercise In Political Theory, This Book Goes On To Show What His Ideal Of A Free Society Means In The Real World By Drawing Out Its Policy Implications. It Will Be Essential Reading For Anyone Concerned About The Just Society And The Welfare State As We Move Into The Twenty-first Century. -- ‡c From Publisher's Description. 1. Capitalism, Socialism, And Freedom -- 2. The Highest Sustainable Basic Income -- 3. Undominated Diversity -- 4. Jobs As Assets -- 5. Exploitation Versus Real Freedom -- 6. Capitalism Justified? Philippe Van Parijs. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [299]-318) And Indexes.

capitalist Societies Are Full Of Unacceptable Inequalities. Freedom Is Of Paramount Importance. These Two Convictions, Widely Shared Around The World, Seem To Be In Direct Contradiction With Each Other. Fighting Inequality Jeopardizes Freedom, And Taking Freedom Seriously Boosts Inequality. Can This Conflict Be Resolved? In This Ground-breaking Book, Philippe Van Parijs Sets A New And Compelling Case For A Just Society. 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 And Unconditional Basic Income To All Its Members. Not Just An Exercise In Political Theory, This Book Reveals A New Ideal Of A Free Society And Its Meaning In The Real World By Drawing Out Its Policy Implications. It Is Essential Reading For Anyone Concerned About The Just Society And The Welfare State As We Move Into The Twenty-first Century.

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. Copyright Page Dedication Preface Introduction 1 Capitalism, Socialism, and Freedom 2 The Highest Sustainable Basic Income 3 Undominated Diversity 4 Jobs as Assets 5 Exploitation versus Real Freedom 6 Capitalism Justified? Notes Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 References Index Assessing and rejecting the claims of both socialism and conventional capitalism, the author presents his alternative vision of the just society: a capitalist society offering a substantial unconditional basic income to all its members