[The capability theory avoids such pitfalls because it insists that quality of life must take into account such incommensurable factors as access to education, quality of personal relationships, political freedom, etc.] The right question to ask seemed to us to be: what are people actually able to do and to be? ... And we look at capabilities rather than actual functioning because we think it's the opportunities that are important. People should be free to choose which ones to use. |
is among America's most prolific and prominent public intellectuals. ... She has worked extensively on education, on development in the Third World, on law, on homosexuality, and above all on the injustices of gender ... she is a dedicated opponent of all that is glitzy and trashy in modern culture. |
One thing that I don't like about some human rights approaches is that they rest on the notion of negative liberties. Some people take it that rights they have secured from the state means the state has to keep its hands off (on that issue). |
Radical Evil in the Lockean State: The Neglect of Political Emotions. |