A Life of One's Own: Individual Rights and the Welfare State (Hardcover)

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Product Description

The welfare state rests on the assumption that people have rights to food, shelter, health care, retirement income, and other goods provided by the government. David Kelley examines the historical origins of that assumption, and the rationale used to support it today.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 165 pages
• Publisher: Cato Institute (October 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882577701
• ISBN-13: 978-1882577705
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,378,876 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterful monograph, December 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Life of One's Own: Individual Rights and the Welfare State (Paperback)

Philosopher David Kelley has written a masterful--and incredibly convincing--book. Kelley examines the modern welfare state going back as far as the first English Poor Laws in the 1600s to FDR, to LBJ, and examines the impact that government wealth redistribution schemes have had. He then meticulously examines the reasoning behind the welfare state, presenting each argument that has been offered in its support in a fair, objective manner and shows, shockingly, how all of the arguments are morally bankrupt. He concludes with a very convincing case that human rights, dignity and benevolence can only prosper in a society free from a paternalistic welfare state. Dr. Kelley is a brave intellectual--one who not only is incredibly sharp, but who is also not afraid to tell the truth.

Even if you find yourself predisposed to support the ideas behind the welfare state (and Kelley may change your mind,) this book is required reading. The arguments presented in _A Life of One's Own_ must be dealt with by anyone who supports the modern welfare state. Considering the importance of this issue and the brilliance of the writing, the book is a steal at $8.00!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction On The Philosophy Of Welfare Rights, April 10, 2002

By	Michael D. Mallinger (Woodbridge, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In "A Life Of One's Own," philosophy professor David Kelley critiques the notion of a right to welfare on moral grounds. He explains how the concept of rights was altered over time to suit the interests of those who favored a centrally planned economy. His argument addresses the definition of rights and how efforts to shift their focus from preserving individual freedom and responsibility to forcing individuals to provide for others had an adverse impact on people's willingness to support voluntary philanthropy.

Kelley's thesis is that, when the concept of rights is extended to the provision of social welfare, the inevitable result is empowering those who demand benefits from the state over those who provide goods and services in an economy. Over the decades since the New Deal was enacted, a spirit of entitlement arose from the legal framework of the Great Society and permeates much of our contemporary discourse on politics. It flies in the face of the Founders' legal conception of the state - which is based on the protection of rights to life, liberty, and property.

The author argues that the transformation of the concept of rights did not occur spontaneously. Instead, it was marketed by a group of historians, intellectuals, and political activists who understood that it is impossible to alter political or legal institutions without changing people's beliefs about morality. Because they understood this, they were able to wage a successful war against the traditional concept of rights.

During the Great Depression, the leaders of the progressive movement were able to sell the public on their ideas by comparing industrial entrepreneurs to the political tyrants who led the... brigade. They claimed the financial power wielded by businessmen was indistinguishable from political power backed by force. Thus, it was up to the state to counteract the "coercive" power of the industrialists. This led to unprecedented growth in the state's ability to control individuals' economic freedoms through the use of taxes and regulations.

In such a system, it is left up to government officials to decide which rights to protect and how to protect them. When individuals are only given rights to whichever goods and services the state chooses to allocate them, the fundamental concept of what rights consist of is completely transformed. The Founders' conception - that rights exist to protect individuals from coercion by their peers - is changed into a notion of privilege. There is a fundamental difference between the two. As Kelley observes: "A right is not a privilege that depends on the will of others but a claim that they are obliged to respect."

According to Kelley, the function of rights is to enable people to conduct their own lives without becoming dependent upon one another. Although people may have different goals, the rules that underlie their system of rights must be assembled to enable all of them to accomplish their goals without resorting to conflict. This is why economies that exist in societies based on contractual relationships work so much better than those governed by political fiat.

Basing our notion of rights on a desire to utilize the state to eradicate poverty is not a demand for freedom itself, but for freedom from the reality that economic consumption requires production. Thus, coercion is the inevitable result of welfare rights - regardless of what proponents of those rights believe about owners of firms under capitalism. In the long run, coercion cannot create or sustain the production of goods and services or the formation of meaningful relationships among human beings.

Although the book is short, Kelley accomplishes his goal of making a moral case against coercive redistribution of wealth. As many of the perverse incentives inherent in the modern welfare state become more visible, his arguments should be increasingly taken to heart. It is only a matter of time before people realize that only voluntary initiative can solve the poverty problem. Coercion only adds to it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant refute of the welfare state, January 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Life of One's Own: Individual Rights and the Welfare State (Paperback)

In a short, but very concise work, Dr. Kelley easily lays to rest the multiple moral and ethical claims to the welfare state. By going over the history of the idea, from the 19th century English Poor Laws, up through FDR and the Great Society of Lyndon Johnson, he shows how welfare evolved into the "entitlement" it is today. He ilustrates lucidly how the idea of welfare transformed from philanthropic choice, and act of kindness, into its present state as a "right" endowed by the government to the people through their "coercive" actions. He argues that the welfare state was caused by a change of philosophy, from the individualist, classical liberal philosophy to the "new liberal" let's-take-care-of-everyone philosophy. He goes on to say that these welfare "rights" are not rights, but acts of coercion by the government which force people to look out for others in the name of "compassion" and "benevolence." This book is an excellent book for anyone, wether you are against or for the welfare state. He opens eyes and challenges the common presumptions of our modern political, moral and ethical beliefs