The Unorthodox Liberalism of Joseph Raz

Abstract

(Originally published in Review of Politics, 1991, 53, 4.) An examination of Joseph Raz's unique brand of liberalism highlights his rejection of antiperfectionist "neutrality" as neither possible nor desirable & his claim that political action is intended to encourage the pursuit of what is good & discourage the pursuit of what is morally inferior. Raz places great value on both individual liberty & autonomy; however, he rejects the value of autonomy used to make morally evil decisions. He also points out that certain social forms, such as the relationship between parents & their children, need not provide opportunities for choice. Raz's distinctly liberal position is apparent in his advocacy of a modified version of J.S. Mill's "harm principle" that disallows government use of coercive means to discourage individuals from committing "victimless" immoralities. Although Raz opposes victimless immoralities as a matter of moral principle, he emphasizes that the use of criminal law to combat them is morally wrong. Arguments used by Raz to reject paternalistic coercion & conditions that justify it are addressed. J. Lindroth