Against Liberalism John Kekes.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kekes, John.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Liberalism--Moral and ethical aspects.

Liberalism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Edition:

1st ed.

Manufacture:

Baltimore, Md. : Project MUSE, 2021

Place of Publication:

Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 1999, 1997.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Liberalism is doomed to failure, John Kekes argues in this penetrating criticism of its basic assumptions. Liberals favor individual autonomy, a wide plurality of choices, and equal rights and resources, seeing them as essential for good lives. They oppose such evils as selfishness, intolerance, cruelty, and greed. Yet the more autonomy, equality, and pluralism there is, Kekes contends, the greater is the scope for evil. According to Kekes, liberalism is inconsistent because the conditions liberals regard as essential for good lives actually foster the very evils liberals want to avoid, and avoiding those evils depends on conditions contrary to the ones liberals favor.Kekes argues further that the liberal conceptions of equality, justice, and pluralism require treating good and evil people with equal respect, distributing resources without regard to what recipients deserve, and restricting choices to those that conform to liberal preconceptions. All these policies are detrimental to good lives. Kekes concludes that liberalism cannot cope with the prevalence of evil, that it is vitiated by inconsistent commitments, and that-contrary to its aim-liberalism is an obstacle to good lives.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

CHAPTER 1. What Is Liberalism?

CHAPTER 2. The Prevalence of Evil

CHAPTER 3. Individual Responsibility

CHAPTER 4. Collective Responsibility

CHAPTER 5. The Errors of Egalitarianism

CHAPTER 6. Justice and Desert

CHAPTER 7. justice without the Liberal Faith

CHAPTER 8. Pluralism versus Liberalism

CHAPTER 9. The Sentimentalism of Benevolence

CHAPTER 10. What Is Wrong with Liberalism?

Afterword

Notes

Works Cited

Index

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9780801433610

0801433614

9781501721878

1501721879

OCLC:

1083598261