John Tomasi: Can Free Markets and Social Justice Coexist?

John Tomasi

John Tomasi is a Professor of Political Science at Brown University and a guest contributor at the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog. He is also the author of the book Free Market Fairness (2012), in which he argues that libertarians can and should care about issues of social justice.

John Tomasi is a Professor of Political Science at Brown University and a guest contributor at the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog (http://​www​.bleed​ing​heartlib​er​tar​i​ans​.com). He is also the author of the book Free Market Fairness (2012), in which he argues that libertarians can and should care about issues of social justice.

Tomasi explains his concept of social justice, which he says is not the same thing as redistributive justice (even according to the Rawlsian conceptualization of justice). Tomasi says that social justice, at it’s most basic level, is a concern for the fate of the poorest members of society. His new book, Free Market Fairness, attempts to trace a framework for the operation of justice within a market system that retains strong private property claims.

Produced by Evan Banks and Caleb Brown.