Review by Choice Review
Author of the best-selling On Bullshit (2005) and On Truth (CH, May'07, 44-4979), Frankfurt (emer., philosophy, Princeton) treats readers to another brief, elegantly written book. He argues that any value equality has is instrumental not intrinsic. To say that equality lacks intrinsic value is to say that equality is neither an end in itself nor worth pursuing for its own sake. But instrumental value is still a value: a life preserver, after all, has only instrumental value. And just as a life preserver is not worth having in a desert, so equality is not worth pursuing in many circumstances. What matters, argues Frankfurt, is that people have enough equality to live fully worthwhile lives, not just enough equality to get by. In an affluent society this justifies transferring wealth, through taxation or regulation, from those who have more than enough to those who do not. Frankfurt agrees with those who say great wealth can corrupt both politics and public life generally, and this provides another instrumental reason for blocking obscene accumulations of wealth. That this might decrease the gap between rich and poor is not the aim. In developing his argument, Frankfurt distinguishes between equality, respect, equal rights, and impartiality and shows the relevance/irrelevance of each. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. --Hans Oberdiek, Swarthmore College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Frankfurt (emeritus, philosophy, Princeton Univ.; On Bullshit) posits that equality of money as well as other resources is not important-the most important is having enough. According to the author's philosophy, not every individual requires the same income and wealth. We should focus on poverty because inequality is not the real issue; Frankfurt makes the point that one is not outraged by the inequality of millionaires and billionaires. The notion, according to this writer, is that it is undesirable for people to think about how they are doing relative to others. Thomas Piketty, author of the acclaimed Capitalism in the Twenty-First Century denotes that high progressive taxes are the main solution to increased inequality. It should be stressed that Sweden keeps such disparity in check with regressive taxes that pay for a greater level of social services. VERDICT This title will be of interest to all libraries with some holdings in philosophy. Readers might also consult June Carbone and Naomi Cahn's Marriage Markets.-Claude Ury, San Francisco © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
