A Measure of Freedom

Ian Carter author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:15th Jan '04

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A Measure of Freedom cover

It is often said that one person or society is 'freer' than another, or that people have a right to equal freedom, or that freedom should be increased or even maximized. Such quantitative claims about freedom are of great importance to us, forming an essential part of our political discourse and theorizing. Yet their meaning has been surprisingly neglected by political philosophers until now. Ian Carter provides the first systematic account of the nature and importance of our judgements about degrees of freedom. He begins with an analysis of the normative assumptions behind the claim that individuals are entitled to a measure of freedom, and then goes on to ask whether it is indeed conceptually possible to measure freedom. Adopting a coherentist approach, the author argues for a conception of freedom that not only reflects commonly held intuitions about who is freer than whom but is also compatible with a liberal or freedom-based theory of justice.

Review from previous edition excellent book ... incisive ... does a great deal to revitalize a traditional and intuitively appealing strand of liberal thought... The book is a stimulating contribution to the literature on liberalism. * Thomas Hurka, TLS *
Carter makes a significant contribution to contemporary reflection about freedom... a tour de force... a philosophical treat: anybody interested in thinking about freedom should take notice. * Mathias Risse, Ethics *
Excellent ... Those interested in philosophical issues about liberty will find this book very worthwhile ...bristles with interesting ideas, arguments, and perspectives... an interesting and provacative book. * James W. Nickel, Law and Philosophy *
the book leaves advocates and opponents of the freedom-based theory of justice with a challenging research agenda. * Jurgen de Wispelare, Political Studies *
ambitious and challenging... A Measure of Freedom will... provide a large measure of satisfaction to readers with a taste for provocative and inventive philosophical argumentation. * Dan Hausman, The Economic Journal *

ISBN: 9780199267491

Dimensions: 233mm x 156mm x 17mm

Weight: 505g

324 pages