Liberal Perfectionism and Democratic Participation

Martha Nussbaum and other "liberal perfectionists" have endorsed a robust doctrine of state responsibility that is perfectionist in its conception of well-being but liberal in its sensitivity to the autonomy of individuals and the differences between them. This doctrine can be understood as an effort to avoid the weaknesses of both an "impartial liberal" model of state welfare responsibility insufficiently attentive to individual need, and a neo-conservative model insufficiently sensitive to autonomy and pluralism. Yet this robust doctrine is vulnerable to the challenge that government concern for the quality of life may encroach upon autonomy and threaten pluralism. This article argues that liberal perfectionists can respond to this challenge by incorporating greater emphasis on public dialogue and participation into their doctrine

Autonomy · Democracy · Doctrine · Epistemology · Law and economics · Liberal democracy · Liberalism · Perfectionism (psychology · Pluralism (philosophy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · State (computer science · Climate Change and Geoengineering · Law · Philosophy · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Psychology · Public Administration · Social Policy and Reform Studies · Social Psychology

• Conceptualising Meaningful Work as a Fundamental Human Need

  Open Access•Ruth Yeoman•Journal of Business Ethics•2014

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