more from this thinker | more from this text
Full Idea
A legitimate system is one which reconciles the two universal principles of impartiality and reasonable partiality so that no one can object that his interests are not being accorded sufficient weight or that the demands on him are excessive.
Gist of Idea
A legitimate system is one accepted as both impartial and reasonably partial
Source
Thomas Nagel (Equality and Partiality [1991], Ch.4)
Book Ref
Nagel,Thomas: 'Equality and Partiality' [OUP 1995], p.38
A Reaction
This seems an appealing principle, and a nice attempt at stating the core of Kantian liberalism. It is obviously influenced by Scanlon's contractualist view, in the idea that 'no one can object', because everyone sees the justification.
| 22597 | Minority rights are everyone's rights, because we all have turns in the minority [Constant] |
| 23037 | People are improved by egalitarian institutions and habits [Green,TH] |
| 6448 | A legitimate system is one accepted as both impartial and reasonably partial [Nagel] |
| 18644 | States can't enforce mutual aid on citizens, or interfere for their own good [Nozick] |
| 23102 | Liberals are egalitarians, but in varying degrees [Kekes] |
| 21113 | Liberal equality concerns rights, and liberal freedom concerns choice of ends [Shorten] |
| 22821 | Liberalism asserts maximum freedom, but that must be equal for all participants [Charvet] |
| 22834 | Egalitarian liberals prefer equality (either of input or outcome) to liberty [Charvet] |
| 23141 | Left-wingers are inconsistent in their essentialist descriptions of social groups [Gopnik] |