Description
Book SynopsisG. A. Cohen was one of the most gifted, influential, and progressive voices in contemporary political philosophy. At the time of his death in 2009, he had plans to bring together a number of his most significant papers. This is the first of three volumes to realize those plans. Drawing on three decades of work, it contains previously uncollected articles that have shaped many of the central debates in political philosophy, as well as papers published here for the first time. In these pieces, Cohen asks what egalitarians have most reason to equalize, he considers the relationship between freedom and property, and he reflects upon ideal theory and political practice.
Included here are classic essays such as Equality of What? and Capitalism, Freedom, and the Proletariat, along with more recent contributions such as Fairness and Legitimacy in Justice, Freedom and Money, and the previously unpublished How to Do Political Philosophy. On ample display throughout are the clarity
Trade Review
"While alerting his readers to the difficulties faced by philosophers, Cohen is a source of guidance to those seeking to find their way in the field of political philosophy."--Richard Mullender, Political Studies Review "Cohen wrote with incredible clarity, analyzed with great insight, and argued with the utmost rigor. He did all this while addressing fundamental problems of political philosophy. It will thus be a joy for those interested in these topics to read, or reread, these essays."--Peter Vallentyne, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
Table of Contents
Editor's Preface vii Acknowledgments xiii Part One: Luck Egalitarianism Chapter One: On the Currency of Egalitarian Justice 3 Chapter Two: Equality of What? On Welfare, Goods, and Capabilities 44 Afterword to Chapters One and Two 61 Chapter Three: Sen on Capability, Freedom, and Control 73 Chapter Four: Expensive Taste Rides Again 81 Chapter Five: Luck and Equality 116 Chapter Six: Fairness and Legitimacy in Justice, And: Does Option Luck Ever Preserve Justice? 124 Part Two: Freedom and Property Chapter Seven: Capitalism, Freedom, and the Proletariat 147 Chapter Eight: Freedom and Money 166 Two Addenda to "Freedom and Money" 193 Part Three: Ideal Theory and Political Practice Chapter Nine: Mind the Gap 203 Chapter Ten: Back to Socialist Basics 211 Chapter Eleven: How to Do Political Philosophy 225 Chapter Twelve: Rescuing Justice from Constructivism and Equality from the Basic Structure Restriction 236 Works Cited 255 Index 263
