Description
During the past several decades, political philosophers have frequently clashed with one another over the question whether governments are morally required to remain neutral among reasonable conceptions of excellence and human flourishing. Whereas the numerous followers of John Rawls (and kindred philosophers such as Ronald Dworkin) have maintained that a requirement of neutrality is indeed incumbent on every system of governance, other philosophers -- often designated as 'perfectionists' -- have argued against the existence of such a requirement. Liberalism with Excellence enters these debates not by plighting itself unequivocally to one side or the other, but instead by reconceiving each of the sides and thus by redirecting the debates that have occurred between them. On the one hand, the book rejects the requirement of neutrality by contending that certain subsidies for the promotion of excellence in sundry areas of human endeavour can be proper and vital uses of resources by governments. Advocating such departures from the constraint of neutrality, the book presents a version of liberalism that can rightly be classified as 'perfectionist'. On the other hand, the species of perfectionism espoused in Liberalism with Excellence diverges markedly from the theories that have usually been so classified. Indeed, much of the book assails various aspects of those theories. What is more, the aspirational perfectionism elaborated in the closing chapters of the volume is reconcilable in most key respects with a suitably amplified version of Rawlsianism. Hence, by reconceiving both the perfectionist side and the neutralist side of the prevailing disputation, Liberalism with Excellence combines and transforms their respective insights.
About the Author
Matthew H. Kramer is Professor of Legal and Political Philosophy at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge. He is Director of the Cambridge Forum for Legal and Political Philosophy, and has been a Fellow of the British Academy since 2014. He is the author of 14 previous books and the co-editor of 4 additional books. Eight of his previous books have been published with the OUP, the most recent being Torture and Moral Integrity (2014).
Reviews
Liberalism with Excellence is Matthew Kramer's first of two books on justice. It is, as he states in its preface, 'in many respects a prolegomenon to the second volume, A Stoic Theory of Justice'. The book is, nonetheless, a well-argued and complex self-standing work; a fresh contribution to the sempiternal question: what are the bases for the legitimacy of the exercise of public power? * Donald Bello Hutt, KU Leuven, Res Publica *
Kramer carefully clarifies the various terms and positions in a debate often wracked with misunderstanding... Liberalism with Excellence is an excellent book that treads new ground in the debate. Kramer proposes a form of aspirational perfectionism which, unlike the elitist Nietzschean tradition, is both egalitarian and liberal. He draws on aspects of both traditional perfectionist theories and contemporary neutralist accounts to offer a thesis that seeks to resolve some of the problems faced by the respective sides in the debate. * Patrick McDevitt, Philosophy *
Kramer's doctrine of aspirational perfectionism brings to the forefront an important consideration in debates about the relationship between excellence and justice, by pointing out how people can benefit from excellence that is not of their own making... Kramer's argument is a salutary supplement to the perfectionist literature. * Christine Sypnowich, ETHICS *
Liberalism with Excellence is Matthew Kramer's first of two books on justice. It is, as he states in its preface, 'in many respects a prolegomenon to the second volume, A Stoical Theory of Justice'. The book is, nonetheless, a well-argued and complex self-standing work; a fresh contribution to the sempiternal question: what are the bases for the legitimacy of the exercise of public power?" * Donald Bello Hutt, RES PUBLICA *
The brief summary I have given barely scratches the surface of Kramer's comprehensive engagement with the now sprawling literature on this topic. His careful discussions of Quong, Gaus, and Raz in particular provide a sophisticated yet accessible guide to the recent debates over liberal neutrality. For good measure, the book also offers an interesting reconstruction of Rawls's understanding of self-respect, a searching critique of perfectionist conceptions of freedom, and some very enjoyable Shakespearean references. It would therefore work well as an assigned text in a graduate course, bringing newcomers up to speed on recent scholarship while offering them provocative food for thought. It also manages to open up an intriguing and quite novel perspective on perfectionism despite a saturated surrounding literature. * Colin Bird, University of Virginia, Political Theory Journal *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198777960
Author Matthew H. Kramer
Format Hardback
Page Count 448
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 818g
Dimensions(mm) 241mm * 170mm * 34mm
About the Author
Matthew H. Kramer is Professor of Legal and Political Philosophy at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge. He is Director of the Cambridge Forum for Legal and Political Philosophy, and has been a Fellow of the British Academy since 2014. He is the author of 14 previous books and the co-editor of 4 additional books. Eight of his previous books have been published with the OUP, the most recent being Torture and Moral Integrity (2014).
Reviews
Liberalism with Excellence is Matthew Kramer's first of two books on justice. It is, as he states in its preface, 'in many respects a prolegomenon to the second volume, A Stoic Theory of Justice'. The book is, nonetheless, a well-argued and complex self-standing work; a fresh contribution to the sempiternal question: what are the bases for the legitimacy of the exercise of public power? * Donald Bello Hutt, KU Leuven, Res Publica *
Kramer carefully clarifies the various terms and positions in a debate often wracked with misunderstanding... Liberalism with Excellence is an excellent book that treads new ground in the debate. Kramer proposes a form of aspirational perfectionism which, unlike the elitist Nietzschean tradition, is both egalitarian and liberal. He draws on aspects of both traditional perfectionist theories and contemporary neutralist accounts to offer a thesis that seeks to resolve some of the problems faced by the respective sides in the debate. * Patrick McDevitt, Philosophy *
Kramer's doctrine of aspirational perfectionism brings to the forefront an important consideration in debates about the relationship between excellence and justice, by pointing out how people can benefit from excellence that is not of their own making... Kramer's argument is a salutary supplement to the perfectionist literature. * Christine Sypnowich, ETHICS *
Liberalism with Excellence is Matthew Kramer's first of two books on justice. It is, as he states in its preface, 'in many respects a prolegomenon to the second volume, A Stoical Theory of Justice'. The book is, nonetheless, a well-argued and complex self-standing work; a fresh contribution to the sempiternal question: what are the bases for the legitimacy of the exercise of public power?" * Donald Bello Hutt, RES PUBLICA *
The brief summary I have given barely scratches the surface of Kramer's comprehensive engagement with the now sprawling literature on this topic. His careful discussions of Quong, Gaus, and Raz in particular provide a sophisticated yet accessible guide to the recent debates over liberal neutrality. For good measure, the book also offers an interesting reconstruction of Rawls's understanding of self-respect, a searching critique of perfectionist conceptions of freedom, and some very enjoyable Shakespearean references. It would therefore work well as an assigned text in a graduate course, bringing newcomers up to speed on recent scholarship while offering them provocative food for thought. It also manages to open up an intriguing and quite novel perspective on perfectionism despite a saturated surrounding literature. * Colin Bird, University of Virginia, Political Theory Journal *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198777960
Author Matthew H. Kramer
Format Hardback
Page Count 448
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 818g
Dimensions(mm) 241mm * 170mm * 34mm
