Tag Archives: John Rawls

Anthony de Jasay on poverty and inequality

by Aschwin de Wolf Posted on August 25, 2011

A recent collection of essays in honor of H.S.H. Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein contains Anthony de Jasay’s article ‘Against Poverty and the Misuse of Language that Helps to Perpetuate it.” In this piece, Jasay argues against the “self-evident” view that … Continue reading →

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The ethics of debt default

by Aschwin de Wolf Posted on April 12, 2011

One of James Buchanan’s most interesting papers is The Ethics of Debt Default (1987), first published in the book Deficits (a collection of public choice articles about public debt and debt financing), edited by James M. Buchanan, Charles Kershaw Rowley, … Continue reading →

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Common political fallacies

by Aschwin de Wolf Posted on December 18, 2010

In Cato Journal, Volume 28, No. 1 (Winter 2008), the independent scholar Anthony de Jasay reviews four common fallacies (as presented in the works of John Stuart Mill, Ronald Dworkin, John Rawls, and Armen Alchian) that many social scientists and … Continue reading →

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Rights: nonsensical, empirical and hypothetical

by Aschwin de Wolf Posted on December 18, 2010

If there is one thing that characterizes contemporary political discourse, and contemporary political liberalism in particular, it is the obsession with “rights.” Individual rights are absolute, or “trumps,” that do not permit to be overridden by collective goals, and can … Continue reading →

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