Readership: Scholars and students of political philosophy, political theory, and moral philosophy; jurists
Michael Otsuka, Department of Philosophy, University College London
"This is a challenging book. It demands that both liberals and economic liertarians re-examine their interpretations of the fundamental political values of freedom and equality." - Samuel Freeman MIND
"In this important contribution to rights theory, the deontology of punishment, and the problem of political obligation, Michael Otsuka argues against the belief, prevalent on both the left and the right of the political spectrum, that the fundamental principles of libertarianism conflict with the ideal of economic equality. This allows him to defend libertarianism without inequality a radical and provocative normative construction that is both more egalitarian and more libertarian than mainstream (left-of-centre) liberal egalitarianism. . . . Otsukas style is pithy, engaging, and crystal-clear." - Ian Carter, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
"Continued His theses are bold, imaginative, and defended with the utmost philosophical rigour. . . . In my view, the book represents one of the best recent contributions to normative political theory. . . . His book will no doubt give rise to a great deal more discussion, and it surely deserves to have a major impact on current debates on justice and political obligation" - Ian Carter, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
Introduction I. Self-Ownership and World-Ownership 1: Self-Ownership and Equality 2: Making the Unjust Provide for the Disabled II. Punishment and Self-Defence 3: The Right to Punish 4: Killing the Innocent in Self-Defence III. Political Society 5: Political Society as a Voluntary Association 6: Left-Libertarianism Versus Liberal Egalitarianism 7: The Problem of Intergenerational Sovereignty Bibliography Index
