COLLOQUIUM SERIES
"Justice and social cooperation:
What can we learn from the making of a toaster?"
David Robichaud
University of Ottawa
Libertarian positions are rather marginal in the political philosophy landscape, but they are more
present in the public discourse. A growing movement against taxation and State interventions
builds on the libertarian idea that we own everything we produce, as long as we do so without
harming anyone. This idea is intuitive and must be taken seriously, but it would be wrong to argue
that most resources produced and owned in our societies are the product of individuals' initiatives
and hard work. A deep understanding of the production of wealth makes it clear that individuals'
productive work is only made possible in a context of strong social cooperation and therefore that
there is a collective contribution in any type of production that justifies taxation. When we take
cooperation seriously, we get both a better understanding of the justifications for redistribution
through taxation and a new theory of justice: left-hobbesianism.
Friday, January 25, 2013
3:00 PM
1201 River Building
All are welcome!