The Principle of Fairness and Political Obligation [Paperback]

George Klosko (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0742533751 | ISBN-13: 978-0742533752 | Publication Date: December 20, 2003

In The Principle of Fairness and Political Obligation, George Klosko presents the first book-length treatment of political obligation grounded in the premises of liberal political theory. In this now-classic work, he clearly and systematically formulates what others thought impossible-a principle of fairness that specifies a set of conditions which grounds existing political obligations and bridges the gap between the abstract accounts of political principles and the actual beliefs of political actors. Brought up-to-date with a new introduction, this new edition will be of great interest to all interested in political thought.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The argument developed in Klosko's book is worth wrestling with, for there is much to think about in this work and very little to distract. (Greg Hill The Review Of Politics )

In grappling with Klosko's arguments one learns much about the theory of fairness itself, and the book is a model of lucid and fair-minded exposition. It provides a nice counterpoint to the skeptical position popular among some liberal theorists. (Green, Leslie Ethics )

Anyone interested in the problem of political obligation will be stimulated by this book, which provides a good sustained argument for a plausible account of political obligation that is worthy of careful consideration. (Donald Becker American Political Science Review )

Klosko's clear and well-written book is the most comprehensive attempt yet to argue for the existence of political obligations from the Principle of Fairness. (Jonathan Wolff Mind )

George Klosko has performed an invaluable service by, for the first time, setting out the fairness theory of political obligation with thoroughness and some detail. He has ensured that hereafter the fairness theory will need to be subjected to proper critical discussion in any serious treatment of political obligation and his statement of the theory is by some way the best available. (John Horton Political Studies )

Klosko's analysis is based on a commonsense idea of fairness, rather than on policy consequences and outcomes. It recognizes the fuzzy--even tragic--nature of political reality. In a less than perfect world, we must be (and generally are) satisfied with 'good enough.' Klosko's great achievement is to show with rigor what we implicitly mean by 'good enough' when determining whether individuals are even obligated to political communities in a world of uncertainty and unclarity. This compact and readable work should be of interest to more than professional political philosophers. Highly recommended. (Choice )

The book is an exemplar of close and careful arguement, fairness, and clarity. Further, even with the developments over the last twelve years, the book retains the virtue of being a terrific introduction to the topics of political obligation and legitimacy more generally. (Andrew Rehfeld Ethics )

About the Author

George Klosko is Henry L. and Grace Doherty Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia. His books include Democratic Procedures and Liberal Consensus, Jacobins and Utopians: The Political Theory of Fundamental Moral Reform, as well as the two-volume History of Political Theory: An Introduction.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (December 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742533751
• ISBN-13: 978-0742533752
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,146,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine Overview, December 30, 2002

By 

J. Rantschler "J." (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Principle of Fairness and Political Obligation (Paperback)

This is a very fine overview of fairness theory, although Klosko wisely limits the scope of its ramifications for obligation to a government to major public institutions, such as making war and keeping the peace.

The principle of fairness that Klosko writes about has five main points:

(1) That there exists a cooperative venture of some group X;
(2) That this venture imposes burdens upon individuals in X;
(3) That this venture yields benefits for some group Y;
(4) That without (1), there will be no (3); and
(5) That Y contains X, but is not X (Y/X is non-empty).

This is intended to generalize the views of Hart and Rawls. There are three possible responses to the free riders (Y/X):

(A) That the benefits be denied Y/X;
(B) That the costs cease to be imposed on X; or
(C) That the costs be imposed upon Y/X.

Klosko argues that (C), which is political obligation as we usually think of it, is only viable if (A) and (B) cannot be accomplished. This is why he restricts himself to large and obvious public goods and refrains from discussing redistributive justice and other governmental functions.

This doesn't free him from the "limiting argument," which denies that (C) is justified, even if (A) and (B) are impossible. Many of the problems with the text come when he discusses reasons to not believe such arguments. In the case of Nozik's examples of the neighborhood intercom system and the street sweeping association, for example, he argues that they aren't viable because of their triviality. Thus, when we switch to enlistment and National Defense, because to stakes are much higher and the benefits are universal, the obligation is assumed to be clear.

This brings about the other of the major problems with this book, which is that Klosko often compares the results of his analysis of the fairness principle to our prejudices about political obligation. Although most of the book doesn't really require it, it often seems as though he's trying to patch together a system that agrees with our intuitions about what the community or the government should and shouldn't be able to impose upon an individual.

The best aspect of the book is when Klosko discusses the bases of his theory, that of consequentialism (esp. Act-Utilitarianism), and that of contractualism. He's quite fair in his analyses and devotes time to explaining where, exactly, each of the three have strengths and where they have weaknesses as a theory of political obligation. This is also true of when he describes the arguments of philosophers (Rawls, Locke, Nozik); his counter arguments are, however, often unconvincing. Both of the appendices ("Parfit's Moral Arithmetic and the Obligation to Obey the Law" & "The Principle of Fairness and Political Attitudes"), in a strange twist for any book, are both readable and useful.

The prose is clear, and ideas are well presented. It is a very fine overview of the subject.