Political Limits

This chapter explores the importance of limits in the political domain, starting with a discussion of the bonds and bounds of political community. It takes on the cosmopolitan outlook that rejects patriotism, which involves loyalty to one’s country and fellow citizens. Patriotism, it is contended, is important not only because it meets the human need for belonging but also, relatedly, because it enables democratic self-government and distributive justice. The second section argues against egalitarian views of distributive justice (with a focus on luck egalitarianism) and in favor of a sufficientarian view, where what matters is that everyone has enough. This sufficientarian view embraces the limiting virtue of contentment and with this a politics of imperfection, and so the third section argues against utopianism, including what is called “ideal theory” in political philosophy. The fourth and final section discusses the importance of the limiting virtue of moderation in politics and, in connection with this, the importance of limiting government. Many of the most important pursuits in life, it is contended, lie outside of the political domain, and politics should make space for these pursuits.