Civil Society Brunch: "Making Rulers Our Equals"

Claudio López-Guerra (University of Richmond)

Claudio López-Guerra (University of Richmond) will present a talk entitled "Making Rulers Our Equals" at 10am, with brunch served from 9:30am.  This public event that is part of the Civil Society Initiative.  RSVP below if you are planning to attend.   All are welcome!

 

Abstract: Politicians like to repeat that “we are all in this together,” that “we are all in the same boat.” Yet they wage wars that they do not fight; they neglect schools that their kids do not attend; they marginalize neighborhoods where they do not live; they allow exploitative workplaces where they do not work; they underfund healthcare systems that they do not use; they ruin economies that they can easily escape. In a nutshell, they lack enough skin in the game. This is a type of political inequality that has not been sufficiently discussed by political philosophers and the public at large. There is a case to be made for requiring high public officials to cast their lot with the governed and internalize the costs of their decisions on a footing of equality.