Retreat from Liberalism: Human Capabilities and Public Reasoning

Rasmussen Douglas B and Den Uyl Douglas J
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Rasmussen Douglas B: St. John’s University
Den Uyl Douglas J: Liberty Fund

Journal des Economistes et des Etudes Humaines, 2009, vol. 15, issue 1, 27

Abstract: Central to Amartya Sen's understanding and defense of political orders that promote equality is his appeal to human capabilities. However, he fails to provide a basis for their selection, weighting, and value. Moreover, the account of ethical reasoning ("public reasoning") by which he does attempt to respond to basic challenges is highly problematic. It not only conflicts with a view of human flourishing that is individualized, agent-relative, and self-directed but also offers neither justification for nor principled limitation of state imposed solutions.

Keywords: agent-relative; deliberative democracy; equality; equinormativity; human capabilities; human flourishing; liberalism; metanorms; metaphysical realism; naturalistic fallacy; norms of liberty; Nussbaum; Putnam; Rawls; Sen (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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DOI: 10.2202/1145-6396.1220

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