Shared Values, Social Unity, and Liberty
Margaret P. Gilbert
University of California, Irvine
Public Affairs Quarterly, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 25-49, 2005
Abstract:
May social unity - the unity of a society or social group - be a matter of sharing values? Political philosophers disagree on this topic. Kymlicka answers: No. Devlin and Rawls answer: Yes. It is argued that given one common 'summative' account of sharing values a negative answer is correct. A positive answer is correct, however, given the plural subject account of sharing values. Given this account, those who share values are unified in a substantial way by their participation in a joint commitment. Some consequences of such sharing of values for the liberty of the people involved are noted.
Keywords: Commitment, Liberty, Political Philosophy, Share, Unity, Value
Accepted Paper Series
Suggested Citation
Gilbert, Margaret P., Shared Values, Social Unity, and Liberty. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1071257
