Reviews for Real freedom for all

The average rating for Real freedom for all based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-05-02 00:00:00 Michael Biggers Van Parijs's book is, first of all, a highly detailed work of analytical political philosophy in the Rawlsian social liberal tradition. And it is also one of the most important contemporary defences of the old idea of "guaranteed minimumn income" or "basic income" (a variant of this theme is the Friedmanian "negative income tax"). It lays the groundwork for why we need such a proposal. Basic income means an unconditional (usually monthly) cash grant given to all citizens of a country, irrespective of status or need. This is a radical solution that people in the Western tradition, like Thomas Paine and Milton Friedman have argued for (for very different reasons). The book's strength lies in its re-interpretation of Rawls's justice-as-fairness as a defence of a basic income guarantee. The author combines the liberal/libertarian commitment to "formal freedom", market-friendliness and tolerance of diverse lifestyles with a Rawlsian commitment to social justice. He argues that a reformed welfare capitalism is what is needed today. I agree. Stylistically, the book is a bit of a mixed bag. There is some really good stuff, but also some boring parts that drag it down. The first 60 and the last 40 pages are straight-on-point and the most interesting (to me) parts of the exposition. The middle 100 pages, consisting of sparring matches with other contemporary philosophers, including Dworkin, Roemer and Hayek, are little more than essay-length deviations from the main course. They shed extra light on the notion of "real-freedom-for-all" wihtout being essential, in any way. Consequently, they drag the book down a little. Feel free to skip some of the sections, if you just want to get (to) the main arguments. The main arguments themselves are cogently argued, although with unnecessary clumsiness in style. Analytical lucidity is interspersed with all-too-technical jargon. Once you get it, you get it, but some sentences are beyond the pale. This book has some really bad sentences: "But the (putative) empirical fact that people will soon be prevented from doing what they want to do unless they want to do (at least part of) what they ought to do is quite distinct from - and has no bearing on - the (alleged) conceptual fact that people are only free if they are not prevented from doing what they want to do and want to do what they ought to do." Geez. Luckily this is pretty much the bottom of the barrel. The rest of the book is pretty readable, if dry. I think the argument of the book is important, if not quite as original as the author wants it to be. Overall, "real freedom for all" (AKA "real libertarianism") represents an important contribution to the social liberal / left libertarian / market liberal discourse in favour of basic income guarantee as a type of social justice measure applicable to 21st century advanced non-socialist economies. (TIP: read also John Tomasi's book "Free Market Fairness" for another pespective of what is needed today.)

Review # 2 was written on 2010-08-12 00:00:00 Lori Anastasio this is by my uncle, i have never successfully read the whole thing, BUT THIS AUTUMN I AM GOING TO TRY