Economics Dictionary of ArgumentsHome
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| Perfectionism: Perfectionism in political philosophy advocates for societal goals or values aiming at achieving an ideal conception of human excellence or flourishing. It asserts that governments should actively promote specific conceptions of the good life, fostering conditions that enable individuals to reach their highest potential. See also Society, Perfection, Politics._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
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Gerald F. Gaus on Perfectionism - Dictionary of Arguments
Gaus I 102 Perfectionism/Gaus: [The] perfectionist theory of the good life - the good life involves the perfection of human beings in society - has wide appeal in contemporary political Gaus I 103 theory. It was at the heart of William Galston’s earlier (1980(1); 1991(2)) work and has been employed by Douglas B. Rasmuessen and Douglas J. Den Uyl (1991)(3) as a foundation for a defence of classical liberalism. Although readers are often confused by Ayn Rand’s description of her position as ‘egoism’, some idea of human perfection also seems foundational to Randian-inspired liberalism (Machan, 1989(4); Smith, 1995(5) 62ff). Such perfectionist accounts of the good life are distinctly liberal in two ways. First, and most obviously, they provide the grounds for an argument for liberty. People need room to grow, room to find out which ways of living suit their unique natures and which do not. >Individuals/Mill, >Liberalism/Gaus, >Liberalism/Waldron. As Mill puts it, people need freedom to engage in ‘experiments in living’. The lack of freedom will constrain growth, thus blocking human impulses and producing passive personalities. Second, such theories tend to place the individual and her choices at the centre of ethical life: liberalism is understood as a theory of ethical individualism. This is not to say that such theories see development as asocial; indeed, they often put stress on the way social life is necessary for complete development (Gaus, 1983a(6), chs 2 and 3; Kymlicka, 1991(7)). Still, it is the individual and her self-realization or flourishing that has ultimate value, and individuals are not so deeply embedded in society as to make their choices a reflection of social history or culture (Sher, 1997(8): ch. 7). >Mill/Gaus. Individuals/Mill: The mass of society, according to Mill, is a ‘collective mediocrity’: they tend to conform and are not interested in new ideas. The few who do think and invent are ‘the salt of the earth: without them, human life would become a stagnant pool’ (1963a(9): ch. 3, para. 10). Paternalism: (...) following from this, such perfectionist theories raise the spectre of widespread paternalism. Although Mill argued for a strongly anti-paternalistic morality, it seems that the ideal is so specific and demanding as to open the gates to interferences with liberty, seeking to prod the mediocre mass towards a richer personality. It also becomes less than obvious why they should be granted liberty equal to that of the perfecting elite. >Autonomy/Gaus. 1. Galston, William (1980) Justice and the Human Good. Chicago: Chicago University Press. 2. Galston, William (1991) Liberal Purposes: Goods, Virtues and Diversity in the Liberal State. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 3. Rasmussen, Douglas B. and Douglas J. Den Uyl (1992) Liberty and Nature: An Aristotelian Defense of Liberal Order. La Salle, IL: Open Court. 4. Machan, Tibor (1989) Individuals and Their Rights. La Salle, IL: Open Court. 5. Smith, Tara (1995) Moral Rights and Political Freedom. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield. 6. Gaus, Gerald F. (1983a) The Modern Liberal Theory of Man. New York: St Martin’s. 7. Kymlicka, Will (1991) Liberalism, Community and Culture. Oxford: Clarendon. 8. Sher, George (1997) Beyond Neutrality: Perfectionism and Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 9.Mill, John Stuart (1963a) On Liberty. In J. M. Robson, ed., The Collected Works of John Stuart Mill. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, vol. XVIII, 213–301. Gaus, Gerald F. 2004. „The Diversity of Comprehensive Liberalisms.“ In: Gaus, Gerald F. & Kukathas, Chandran 2004. Handbook of Political Theory. SAGE Publications._____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
Gaus I Gerald F. Gaus Chandran Kukathas Handbook of Political Theory London 2004 |
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