Can libertarians care about social justice? In ''Free
Market Fairness'', John Tomasi argues that they can and
should. Drawing simultaneously on moral insights from
defenders of economic liberty such as F. A. Hayek and
advocates of social justice such as John Rawls, Tomasi
presents a new theory of liberal justice. This theory,
free market fairness, is committed to both limited
government and the material betterment of the poor.
Unlike traditional libertarians, Tomasi argues that
property rights are best defended not in terms of
self-ownership or economic efficiency but as
requirements of democratic legitimacy. At the same time,
he encourages egalitarians concerned about social
justice to listen more sympathetically to the claims
ordinary citizens make about the importance of private
economic liberty in their daily lives. In place of the
familiar social democratic interpretations of social
justice, Tomasi offers a ''market democratic''
conception of social justice: free market fairness.
Tomasi argues that free market fairness, with its twin
commitment to economic liberty and a fair distribution
of goods and opportunities, is a morally superior
account of liberal justice.Free market fairness is also
a distinctively American ideal. It extends the notion,
prominent in America's founding period, that protection
of property and promotion of real opportunity are
indivisible goals. Indeed, according to Tomasi, free
market fairness is social justice, American style.
Provocative and vigorously argued, ''Free Market
Fairness'' offers a bold new way of thinking about
politics, economics, and justice - one that will
challenge readers on both the left and right. |
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