Social justice and the Indian rope trick / Anthony de Jasay ; edited by Hartmut Kliemt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

De Jasay, Anthony, 1925- author.

Contributor:

Kliemt, Hartmut, 1949- editor.

Series:

[The collected papers of Anthony de Jasey]

Standardized Title:

Essays. Selections.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social justice.

Economics--Sociological aspects.

Economics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (209 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Indianapolis, Indiana : Liberty Fund, 2015.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Anthony de Jasay is arguably one of the most influential independent thinkers and libertarian political philosophers of our time. Through his writings, he challenges the reigning paradigms justifying modern democratic government, providing an antidote to the well-intentioned yet, in Jasay's opinion, naive expansion of state power furthered by much of modern thought today. In this collection of witty and compelling essays, the author challenges what many of today's social and political philosophers widely accept: that social injustice is identified with inequality and social justice with equality. Rather, Jasay argues that justice preempts so-called social justice, so any attempt to adorn equality in the robes of social justice is an illusion, a sleight of hand, "much as the Indian rope in the notorious trick is made to stand up skyward on its own." The fifteen articles in this collection include both published and unpublished papers written over the years 2008 to 2012. Scholars, students, and general readers will enjoy this collection, which is written with just the right blend of serious scholarship, wit, and plain speaking. In addition, Social Justice and the Indian Rope Trick can be seen as a continuation of Jasay's Political Philosophy, Clearly (Liberty Fund, 2010) and a companion to his book Economic Sense and Nonsense (Liberty Fund, 2014).

Contents:

Intro

Anthony de Jasay / Social Justice and the Indian Rope Trick, (2015)

Front Matter

Half Title Page, p. i

Frontispiece, p. iv

Full Title Page, p. v

Copyright Page, p. vi

Contents, p. vii

Preface, p. ix

Part: Social Justice and the Indian Rope Trick, p. 1

Part 1 Is Equal Superior?, p. 1

1. Equalities, the Claims of Social Justice, and the Indian Rope Trick, p. 3

2. Ranking Worlds by Words: A Case for Inequality, p. 33

3. Against Poverty and the Misuse of Language That Helps to Perpetuate it, p. 41

4. The "Justice" That Overrules the Rules of Justice, p. 49

Part 2 Inadvertent Surrender, Real Politics, and Rational Man, p. 55

1. The Inadvertent Surrender: Spreading the State, Shrinking Liberty, p. 57

2. Presumption of Liberty, p. 90

3. On Rightsism, p. 93

4. Human Rights and Wrongs: Misnomers, Illusions, Tensions, p. 105

Part 3 Contractarianism and Its Surroundings, p. 115

1. Conduct and Contract, p. 117

2. Ordered Anarchy and Contractarianism, p. 127

3. Inspecting the Foundations of Liberalism, p. 133

Part 4 Errors and Omissions, p. 151

1. Suckers, Punters, Pathbreakers: When Homo Oeconomicus is Selflessly Selfish, p. 153

2. Who Will Guard the Guardians?, p. 164

3. Can Opportunity be Equal? A Note on False Pretenses in Equality Discourse, p. 173

4. Morals by Agreements, p. 178

Index, p. 181

Colophon, p. 196.

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-86597-884-0

1-61487-918-4

OCLC:

892802094