Book Reviews.

Abstract

In common usage, democracy means roughly any state of affairs approved by the speaker. Given that tendency toward vagueness, any writing on democracy, even a book review, should begin by defining its subject. Democracy is a form of government in which sovereignty rests with the population at large and decisions are made by majority rule. Liberal democracy means that individual rights constrain the power of government. Social democracy, in contrast, offers few if any protections for private property though government remains limited on issues like civil liberties and social freedoms while redistributing wealth in the name of equality. Stein Ringen offers an updated explication and defense of social democracy. His version differs from past conceptions. For one thing, Ringen’s democracy is a means rather than an end; democracy should be judged by its contribution to individual freedom. The goal of politics is not some collective good, not even equality at least on the face of it. However, Ringen does not understand “individual freedom” in the way Robert Nozick or other libertarians do. His work aspires to follow the legacy of the British liberal Isaiah Berlin. This claim is contestable. Berlin is well known for his defense of negative liberty, a conception rather close to libertarian ideals. Ringen endorses negative liberty but makes a version of positive liberty central to his argument. (He sees himself as following Berlin’s own acceptance of positive liberty late in life). Ringen also leans on the work of Joseph Raz and Immanuel Kant, though without mentioning the latter. In other words, Ringen understands “individual freedom” as autonomy rather than liberty; to be free is to be master of my life rather than to be at liberty to do what I wish within the side constraints formed by the rights of others. To be autonomous requires negative liberty and more: resources, arenas (institutions where relevant choices are available), deliberation with others, and in the end, reason itself. Resources and arenas, at least, are the bridge from autonomy to the welfare state.