Abstract
Real-libertarianism, as it is expressed in Philippe Van Parijs' recent monograph Real Freedom for All is characteristically committed to both self-ownership and 'solidarity’ with the infirm or handicapped. In this article it is argued that the conception of (real) freedom that is used to endorse self-ownership is inconsistent with the conception of (social) freedom or opportunity that is used to justify transfer payments to those with no or low earning capacity. The problem turns around the question whether one's freedom consists in the access one has to a share of the social product or in the measure of economic self-sufficiency one enjoys. Accordingly the role of private property in external resources as a condition for freedom is unclear: is it the basis of people's capacity for self-determination or is it the basis of people's bargaining power? Van Parijs' commitment to self-ownership suggests the former, his commitment to solidarity suggests the latter. A similar ambivalence is pointed out in his argument for a universal basic income, for which Real Freedom for All is so well-known.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Cohen, G.A., The Structure of Proletarian Unfreedom, Philosophy & Public Affairs 12(1) (1983), pp. 3–33.
Cohen, G.A., Self-ownership, Freedom, and Equality. Cambridge: CUP, 1995.
Donselaar, G. van, The Benefit of Another's Pains. Parasitism, Scarcity, Basic Income Doctoral Thesis, Amsterdam: University of Amsterdam, 1997.
Dworkin, R., What is Equality? Part 2: Equality of Resources, Philosophy & Public Affairs 10(4) (1981), pp. 283–345.
Hartogh, Govert, den, Het Basisinkomen als Grondrecht, in R.J. van der Veen en D. Pels (eds.), Het basisinkomen. Sluitstuk van de verzorgingsstaat? Amsterdam: Van Gennep,1995, pp. 124–156.
Gauthier, D., Morals by Agreement. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1986.
Sen, A.K., Inequality Reexamined.New York/Oxford: Russel Sage/Clarendon Press, 1992.
Steiner, H., An Essay on Rights. Oxford: Blackwell, 1994.
Van Parijs, Ph., Real Freedom for All: What (if Anything) Can Justify Capitalism? Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995.
Van Parijs, Ph., Why Surfers Should Be Fed: The Liberal Case for an Unconditional Basic Income, Philosophy & Public Affairs 20(2) (1991), pp. 101–131.
Veen, R.J. van der, Real Freedom versus Reciprocity: Competing Views on the Justice of Unconditional Basic Income, Political Studies 46(1) 1998, pp. 140–163.
White, S., Liberal Equality, Exploitation, and the Case for an Unconditional Basic Income, Political Studies 45(2) 1997, pp. 312–326.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
van Donselaar, G. The Freedom-based Account of Solidarity and Basic Income. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 1, 313–333 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009909715239
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009909715239