State Neutrality in the age of globalization: re-evaluating its foundation and implication

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K13301
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 05010:Legal theory and history-related
• Research Institution: Yokohama National University
• Principal Investigator: Yonemura Kotaro 横浜国立大学, 大学院国際社会科学研究院, 准教授 (00585185)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 中立性 / リベラリズム / グローバル化 / 卓越主義

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Liberalism generally endorses the principle of neutrality, which tells state to be neutral among various conception of the good. The aim of this research is to examine the philosophical basis of this principle and explore its implication. The research examined prior arguments for accommodating the neutrality principle and perfectionism, especially Matthew Kramer's aspirational perfectionism. After careful examination, I found that his liberal perfectionism has several serious difficulties. Rejecting previous arguments, I submitted 'disagreggation approach' for neutrality. According to it, neutrality is not a single principle but a bundle of several normative requirements, such as inclusion, ethical integrity. As a result, you can accept some perfectionistic policies if those requirements are satisfied. In other words, you can endorse liberal neutrality and perfectionism at the same time.

Free Research Field

法哲学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

リベラリズム自体については、国内外ともに膨大な研究が存在する。だが中立性概念を主題として論じるものは国内にはほぼ存在しないといってよく、本研究はその欠落を埋める意義がある。さらに、芸術やスポーツへの助成のような卓越主義的な政策、喫煙規制のようなパターナリスティックな政策と、リベラリズムが両立可能なのか、というごく身近な実践的論点にも、本研究関連性を有する。さらに移民政策のようなグローバルな文脈における中立性への含意を考察するものは国際的にも少なく、その意味でこの研究には意義があると考える。