The Free, the Unfree and the Excluded

First published in 1998, this volume forwards a particular theory of freedom and delves into the relationships between this view of freedom and issues of social justice. Exploring positive and negative implications of the idea of freedom and its interaction with social justice programs, Phillip Cole argues that the idea of freedom contributes substantially to the theory of social justice, rather than drawing limiting boundaries around it. Cole examines the concept of freedom in light of ability, autonomy, neutrality, equality, welfare and membership. At heart, his approach is based on the notion of ‘entitlement’ and assumes that all people are of equal moral and political weight, that all should receive the same consideration for the purpose of ethical and political questions.