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Free and Equal 2023
Free and Equal: What Would a Fair Society Look Like? is a 2023 publication by Daniel Chandler, who works as an economist and philosopher at the London School of Economics and previously served as a policy advisor. The book advocates for a renewed version of modern liberalism, grounded in the principles of John Rawls.
Daniel Chandler starts the book by highlighting increasing dissatisfaction with liberal democracy and neoliberal economic systems, along with the rise of right-wing populism and the absence of a compelling vision for justice in society. The first section of the book outlines Rawls’s theories, especially those developed in A Theory of Justice (1971), and includes responses from various critics. The second part explores how to deal with current economic, political, social, and environmental challenges using Rawls's framework as a base. The 2024 version includes an afterword where Daniel Chandler examines the feasibility of implementing such reforms politically.
Stuart Jeffries from The Guardian described the book as “a stirring call,” noting that while the first part offers “a fine elucidation of Rawls’s ideas and critical responses to them,” he found the second part “where things get exciting.” In the LSE Review of Books, Aveek Bhattacharya, who is the Research Director of the Social Market Foundation, referred to it as “a book of two halves” and commended the first section, saying, “I would happily assign the book as reading if I were teaching Rawls to undergraduates.” His take on the second part was less positive, arguing that Daniel Chandler underestimates real-world difficulties and “fixates on Rawls when other political philosophers would be more helpful.” Kirkus Reviews stated that “Chandler brings good cheer and a positive outlook to the work of reshaping society, which marks an advance on the usual gloom and doom.”
Details
- Publisher
- Allen Lane
- ISBN
- 9780141991948
- Pages
- 432
- Format
- Print (hardcover paperback)
