Boundaries and Allegiances: Problems of Justice and Responsibility in Liberal Thought

by Samuel Scheffler

This exceptional work--a collection of eleven essays by one of the most fascinating moral philosophers currently writing--explores a perspective that is at once sympathetic towards and critical of liberal political philosophy. The essays address the capacity of liberal thought, and of the moral traditions on which it draws, to accommodate a variety of challenges posed by the changing circumstances of the modern world. They also consider how, in an era of rapid globalization, when our lives are structured by social arrangements and institutions of ever-increasing size, complexity, and scope, we can best conceive of the responsibilities of individual agents and the normative significance of our diverse commitments and allegiances. Linked by common themes, the volume examines the responsibilities we have in virtue of belonging to a community, the compatibility of such obligations with equality, the demands of distributive justice in general, and liberalism's relationship to liberty,
community, and equality.

Genres: Philosophy

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Tom Farrow]

Chapters 2, 5, and 7