Taking Liberalism (And Its Critics) Seriously (original) (raw)

1996, Philosophical Books

Waldron's defence of welfare rights is perhaps the most distinctive feature of this book of essays. While many, if not most, other liberal political theorists currently writing in the United States focus their attention on analyses and defences of so-called "first-generation rights", such as free speech, religious liberty, the right to a fair trial, and other provisions in the Bill of Rights, Waldron argues that the socioeconomic claims referred to as "secondgeneration rights" are no less important. Rather, he argues, following Henry Shue, that one cannot "fully enjoy any right that he is supposed to have if he lacks the essentials for a reasonably healthy and active life" @. 7). These essentials include necessary food, clothing, shelter, medical care and other social services, education, and employment (for those who are able to work). What 'enjoyment' of a right means, for Waldron, as for Shue, is not merely taking pleasure in a right, but "actually having the right, in the substantive sense in which the right is thought to be worth having" (p. 9).