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The Illusions of Egalitarianism
 
 
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The Illusions of Egalitarianism [Hardcover]

John Kekes (Author)

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Book Description

December 2003
In this systematic and scathing attack on the dominant contemporary version of liberalism, John Kekes challenges political assumptions shared by the majority of people in Western societies. Egalitarianism, as it’s widely known, holds that a government ought to treat all citizens with equal consideration. Kekes charges that belief in egalitarianism rests on illusions that prevent people from facing unpleasant truths.

Kekes, a major voice in modern political thought, argues that differences among human beings in the areas of morality, reasonability, legality, and citizenship are too important for governance to ignore. In a rigorous criticism of prominent egalitarian thinkers, including Dworkin, Nagel, Nussbaum, Rawls, Raz, and Singer, Kekes charges that their views present a serious threat to both morality and reason.

For Kekes, certain "inegalitarian truths" are obvious: people should get what they deserve, those who are good and those who are evil should not be treated as if they had the same moral worth, people should not be denied what they have earned in order to benefit those who have not earned it, and individuals should be held responsible for their actions. His provocative book will compel many readers to question their faith in liberalism.


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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"The Illusions of Egalitarianism is an excellent and much-needed criticism of the egalitarianism that dominates contemporary Anglo-American ethics and political philosophy. John Kekes does a thorough and comprehensive job of exposing the threadbare nature of the assumptions of many of the most admired figures in the field. He is devastating in showing how egalitarian thinkers attempt to impose an inappropriately theoretical template on the real world which highlights just one moral consideration above all others and is highly intolerant of diversity or world pluralism."—Anthony O’Hear, Honorary Director of the Royal Institute of Philosophy

"Argued with relentless logical rigor, The Illusions of Egalitarianism is that rare phenomenon—a work of philosophy that is not only profound but also gripping, lucid, impassioned, and utterly timely."—Myron Magnet, Editor, City Journal --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

John Kekes is Professor of Philosophy at the State University of New York, Albany. He is the author of eleven previous books, most recently Pluralism in Philosophy: Changing the Subject and The Art of Life, both from Cornell.

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
This book is a criticism of the currently dominant version of liberalism. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
nonperfectionist egalitarians, bad political arrangements, unequal political arrangements, partial moral responsibility, serious undeserved harm, decreasing evil, good ethical code, rampant moralism, corrective aim, capacity for moral personality, nonintentional actions, formative attitudes, widespread evil, egalitarian thinkers, constructive aim, realistic politics, egalitarian liberalism, option luck, optimistic faith, moral inequality, supposed obligation
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Illusions of Egalitarianism, Prevention Principle, The Rhetoric of Toleration, The Groundlessness of Egalitarianism, The Myth of Equality, The Ideology of Freedom, The Burden of Double-Mindedness, The Denial of Responsibility, The Politics of Fairy Tales, The Inconsistency of Aims, The Corruption of Justice, The Menace of Moralism, The Tyranny of Do-Gooders, The Politics of Illusions, John Rawls, Joseph Raz, Realities of Politics, Isaiah Berlin
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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