Autonomy and Rights: The Moral Foundations of Liberalism
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Description
Moral and political theorists who espouse egalitarianism and Marxism tend to assume that it is extremely hard, if not impossible, to put forward an original and plausible moral justification of classical liberalism. Horacio Spector is concerned to build just such a justification. He reconstructs and then criticizes a familiar approach to the moral foundations of classical liberalism which rests on the maximization of negative freedom, and then frames an alternative theory centered in the obligation to protect positive freedom. In so doing, he parts company not only with utilitarianism and contractarianism, but also with the theory of natural rights. Among the topics he discusses are the concepts of negative and positive freedom, the notion of a moral right, the connection between positive freedom and personal autonomy, the axiological uniqueness of each human being, and the agent-relativity of moral reasons.
ISBN
9780199533626
Publication Date
3-15-2008
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Keywords
liberalism, autonomy, personal autonomy, negative freedom, positive freedom, agent relativism, moral right
Disciplines
Jurisprudence | Law and Philosophy
Digital USD Citation
Spector, Horacio, "Autonomy and Rights: The Moral Foundations of Liberalism" (2008). Faculty Books. 118.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/law_fac_books/118