The Fictitious Liberal Divide on Economic Rights

Abstract

It is common to assume that the main disagreement between classical and high liberals is about how to harmonize economic rights with a theory of justice. This fourth chapter, conversely, argues that both classical and high liberals understand economic rights as prima facie rights, and not as basic rights. If there is any disagreement on such a matter, it comes from neoclassical liberals who are most probably misrepresenting their own understanding of economic rights by calling such rights basic. There is no real disagreement in the liberal tradition concerning the nature and the justification of economic rights. Both classical and high liberals agree that economic rights may be limited to pursue some aspects of social justice.