In Defense of Wishful Thinking
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E. R. Prendergast
Abstract
In Utopophobia: On the Limits (If Any) of Political Philosophy, David Estlund defends against utopophobia in political philosophy. Estlund claims that it is no defect in a theory of justice if it sets a high standard that has little chance of being achieved by any society. The book does not, however, give similar permission to argue for unrealistically optimistic political proposals. Going beyond Estlund, I consider the possibility that some utopian thinking is warranted not just in the context of formulating a theory of justice, but in the practical context, too. Sometimes theorizers ought to argue for and pursue political proposals that seem unrealistically optimistic.
Acknowledgments
For helpful feedback and discussions, I thank Stephanie Hoffmann, Adam Pham, Claire Prendergast, Harry Brighouse, Paniel Reyes Cárdenas, participants of the Aretai Center on Virtues 5th Annual Conference, and two anonymous reviewers.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Special Issue: Utopophobia; Guest Editors: Achim Vesper & Philipp Schink
- Editorial
- Introduction to the Symposium on David Estlund’s Utopophobia
- Articles
- Which Limitations Block Requirements?
- A Defence of Robust Idealism in Political Philosophy
- Bad Facts and Principles: Finding the Right Kind of Fact-Insensitivity
- How Do You Like Your Justice, Bent or Unbent?
- In Defense of Wishful Thinking
- Replies to Critics
- Regular Articles
- A More Liberal Public Reason Liberalism
- Refugee-based Reasons in Refugee Resettlement – The Case of LGBTIQ+
- The Irrationality of Stand Your Ground: Game Theory on Self-Defense
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Special Issue: Utopophobia; Guest Editors: Achim Vesper & Philipp Schink
- Editorial
- Introduction to the Symposium on David Estlund’s Utopophobia
- Articles
- Which Limitations Block Requirements?
- A Defence of Robust Idealism in Political Philosophy
- Bad Facts and Principles: Finding the Right Kind of Fact-Insensitivity
- How Do You Like Your Justice, Bent or Unbent?
- In Defense of Wishful Thinking
- Replies to Critics
- Regular Articles
- A More Liberal Public Reason Liberalism
- Refugee-based Reasons in Refugee Resettlement – The Case of LGBTIQ+
- The Irrationality of Stand Your Ground: Game Theory on Self-Defense
