
Liberal neutrality has been criticized from many angles. This chapter concerns the connection critics draw between neutrality and individualism, particularly in the context of Rawls's theory of justice. It distinguishes three different ways that critics have attempted to connect neutrality and individualism and argues that all rest on misinterpretations of Rawls's theory. The chapter shows that the dispute over liberal neutrality would be more fruitful if both sides moved away from general questions of "individualism" toward more specific questions about the relationship between state, society, and culture in liberal democracies. Consequential neutrality is also inconsistent with Rawls's explanation of the role of "primary goods". The chapter considers some versions of the claim that liberal neutrality, as envisioned by Rawls, is excessively individualistic. Liberal neutrality does not restrict the scope of perfectionist ideals in the collective activities of individuals and groups. Individual judgments about the good always depend on, and flow from, the collective evaluation of shared practices.
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 304 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 1% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 1% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% |
