Social Justice in the Liberal State

405 Pages·1981·20.819 MB·English

by  Bruce Ackerman

SOCIAL JUSTICE IN THE LIBERAL STATE
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SOCIAL JUSTICE
IN THE LIBERAL STATE
BRUCE A. ACKERMAN
NEW HAVEN AND LONDON, YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Copyright © 1980 by Yale University.
All rights reserved.
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any
form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108
of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the
public press), without written permission from the publishers.
Designed by Sally Harris
and set in VIP Garamond type.
Printed in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Ackerman, Bruce A
Social justice in the liberal state.
Includes index.
1. Liberalism. 2. Justice. I. Title.
JC571.A135 320.5'1 80-12618
ISBN 0-300-02439-8
ISBN 13: 978-0-300-02757-0
FOR ANDREI SAKHAROV
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments xi
Part One: A NEW WORLD
1: THE LIBERAL STATE 3
1. The Struggle for Power 3
2. Culture and Right 4
3. Constrained Power Talk 8
4. Neutrality and Convergence 10
5. Is Liberalism Consistent? 12
6. Liberalism and Equal Respect 15
7. Finishing the Conversation 17
8. Technologies of Justice 19
9. Overview of the Argument 24
2: WEALTH 31
10. A New World 31
11. Rationality 34
12. Neutrality 43
13. The Pursuit of Happiness 45
14. The Case for Initial Equality 53
15. Conversational Presuppositions 59
16. Uniqueness 66
3: CITIZENSHIP 69
17. The Question of Citizenship 69
18. Necessary Conditions for Citizenship:
Dialogic Performance 70
19. Necessary Conditions for Citizenship:
Behavioral Requirements 80
vii
viii CONTENTS
20. From Necessary to Sufficient Conditions 88
21. The Citizen as Commander 96
22. Citizenship in Liberal Theory 99
Part Two: JUSTICE OVER TIME
4: BIRTHRIGHTS 107
23. The Biography of Everyman 107
24. First and Last 109
25. Trusteeship 111
26. Genetic Manipulation 113
27. Undominated Diversity 120
28. Adoption, Abortion, Infanticide 124
29. Birth Defects 129
30. Genetic Manipulation in Liberal Theory 133
5: LIBERAL EDUCATION 139
31. Beyond Horticulture 139
32. Primary Education: The Place of the Family 140
33. Primary Education: Abuse and Neglect 143
34. The Decline of Parental Authority 146
35. Secondary Education: The Liberal Principle 150
36. The Role of the School in Liberal Theory 154
37. The Place of Education in Liberal Theory 163
6: FREE EXCHANGE 168
38. Partial Synthesis 168
39. Transactional Flexibility 170
40. Transmitter-Shields for All 174
41. Free Speech, Free Competition, Free Love 177
42. A General Theory of Initial Entitlements 180
43. The Liberal Critique of Individualist Property 186
44. The Liberal Critique of Collectivism 189
45. Liberal Solutions 190
46. Consent and Utility in Transactional Theory 195
CONTENTS ix
7: TRUSTEESHIP 201
47. The Question of Inheritance 201
48. Trusteeship: A Simple Model 202
49. Complexities: The Problem of Continuity 207
50. Complexities: "Irreplaceable" Resources 212
51. Population Control 217
52. Justice over Time 221
Part Three: FROM IDEAL TO REALITY
8: EXPLOITATION 231
53. Statesmanship 231
54. Equal Sacrifice 237
55. Exploitation and Affirmative Action 240
56. Exploitation and Overall Budget Size 250
57. The Appeal to General Advantage 257
58. Capitalism, Socialism, Liberalism 261
59. Philosophical Foundations for Liberal Activism 264
9: LIBERAL DEMOCRACY 273
60. Disagreement and Tyranny 273
61. The "Pure" Problem of Good-Faith Disagreement 274
62. Civil Disobedience and the Limits of Majority Rule 293
63. Tyranny 301
64. Alternative Foundations for Liberal Democracy 313
Part Four: FIRST PRINCIPLES
10: CONTRACT, UTILITY, NEUTRALITY 327
65. Higher Judges and the Liberal Tradition 327
66. Battle Weariness 335
67. Individual and Community in Liberal Thought 345
11: DIALOGUE 349
68. Beyond Intuitionism 349
69. Beyond Monologue 355