Liberalism with Excellence

Reviews / Votes

Liberalism with Excellence is Matthew Kramer's first of two books on justice. It is, as he states in its preface, 'in many respects a prolegomenon to the second volume, A Stoic Theory of Justice'. The book is, nonetheless, a well-argued and complex self-standing work; a fresh contribution to the sempiternal question: what are the bases for the legitimacy of the exercise of public power? * Donald Bello Hutt, KU Leuven, Res Publica * Kramer carefully clarifies the various terms and positions in a debate often wracked with misunderstanding... Liberalism with Excellence is an excellent book that treads new ground in the debate. Kramer proposes a form of aspirational perfectionism which, unlike the elitist Nietzschean tradition, is both egalitarian and liberal. He draws on aspects of both traditional perfectionist theories and contemporary neutralist accounts to offer a thesis that seeks to resolve some of the problems faced by the respective sides in the debate. * Patrick McDevitt, Philosophy * Kramer's doctrine of aspirational perfectionism brings to the forefront an important consideration in debates about the relationship between excellence and justice, by pointing out how people can benefit from excellence that is not of their own making... Kramer's argument is a salutary supplement to the perfectionist literature. * Christine Sypnowich, ETHICS * Liberalism with Excellence is Matthew Kramer's first of two books on justice. It is, as he states in its preface, 'in many respects a prolegomenon to the second volume, A Stoical Theory of Justice'. The book is, nonetheless, a well-argued and complex self-standing work; a fresh contribution to the sempiternal question: what are the bases for the legitimacy of the exercise of public power?" * Donald Bello Hutt, RES PUBLICA * The brief summary I have given barely scratches the surface of Kramer's comprehensive engagement with the now sprawling literature on this topic. His careful discussions of Quong, Gaus, and Raz in particular provide a sophisticated yet accessible guide to the recent debates over liberal neutrality. For good measure, the book also offers an interesting reconstruction of Rawls's understanding of self-respect, a searching critique of perfectionist conceptions of freedom, and some very enjoyable Shakespearean references. It would therefore work well as an assigned text in a graduate course, bringing newcomers up to speed on recent scholarship while offering them provocative food for thought. It also manages to open up an intriguing and quite novel perspective on perfectionism despite a saturated surrounding literature. * Colin Bird, University of Virginia, Political Theory Journal *