Ingrid Robeyns

A New Yorker Best Book of 2024 A History Today Book of the Year "A powerful case for limitarianism--the idea that we should set a maximum on how much resources one individual can appropriate. A must-read " --Thomas Piketty, bestselling author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century An original and galvanizing indictment of the world's uber-rich that boldly argues for a cap on wealth from the philosopher who coined the term "limitarianism." How much money is too much? Is it ethical, and democratic, for an individual to amass a limitless amount of wealth, and then spend it however they choose? As democracies weaken, our climate becomes increasingly unpredictable, and inequality worsens, many of us feel that the obvious answer is no--but what can we do about it? Economist and philosopher Ingrid Robeyns has long written and argued for the principle she calls "limitarianism"--a "common sense" (Jia Tolentino) case against extreme wealth which posits that a considered cap on one's individual wealth is an urgent ethnical concern that will ultimately lead to healthier, more democratic societies. In this "provocative consideration of extreme wealth accumulation" (The New Yorker) Robeyns ignites an urgent debate about wealth and when, how and why to limit it, calling into question the legitimacy of capitalism and neoliberalism and inviting us to a radical reimagining of our world.

*A NEW YORKER, ESQUIRE, HISTORY TODAY AND THE CONVERSATION BOOK OF THE YEAR*‘The best case I've read for putting an upper limit on the accumulation of wealth’ Richard Wilkinson'One of the most talked-about books to the moment … Limitarianism floats the heretical idea that fixing society isn’t just about saving the poorest from destitution, but about putting a cap on how much the richest are able to own' SpectatorNo-one deserves to be a millionaire. Not even you. We all notice when the poor get poorer: when there are more rough sleepers and food bank queues start to grow. But if the rich become richer, there is nothing much to see in public and, for most of us, daily life doesn't change. Or at least, not immediately.In this astonishing, eye-opening intervention, world-leading philosopher and economist Ingrid Robeyns exposes the true extent of our wealth problem, which has spent the past fifty years silently spiralling out of control. In moral, political, economic, social, environmental and psychological terms, she shows, extreme wealth is not only unjustifiable but harmful to us all - the rich included.In place of our current system, Robeyns offers a breathtakingly clear alternative: limitarianism. The answer to so many of the problems posed by neoliberal capitalism - and the opportunity for a vastly better world - lies in placing a hard limit on the wealth that any one person can accumulate. Because nobody deserves to be a millionaire. Not even you.*Shortlisted for the Socrates Philosophy Prize*

At verden lige nu er mere økonomisk ulige, end den har været længe, er noget, de fleste kan blive enige om, selv nogle af verdens meget rige mennesker, og Robeyns’ bog giver os et forfriskende og nytænkende udgangspunkt for samtalen om, hvordan vi gerne vil have, at sa°vel økonomisk som alt anden og deraffølgende ulighed i samfundet skal balanceres fremadrettet.Efter jeg i et helt a°rti havde analyseret og debatteret ekstrem rigdom, blev jeg overbevist om, at vi er nødt til at skabe en verden, hvor ingen er stenrige – vi er nødt til at begrænse enkeltpersoners formuer. Jeg kalder det for limitarianisme.Limitarianisme – Argumenter imod ekstrem rigdom er en markant og rettidig bog om økonomi, der inddrager moralfilosofiske tanker og bevæggrunde. Robyens præsenterer ikke sine argumenter baseret pa° partipolitik eller gamle ideologiske skel, hun tilbyder os derimod argumenter, som understøtter noget, mange mennesker helt intuitivt føler: at den nuværende økonomiske ulighed er kørt helt af sporet.Bogen er samtidig bevidst om sin egen begrænsning, idet den ikke udgør et manifest for en ny verdensorden, og den tilbyder heller ikke detaljerede løsningsforslag. Den udfolder en ide´, som skal indga° i en bredere samfundsdebat.oversat af Iben H. Philipsenformat 135x210 mm

‘The best case I've read for putting an upper limit on the accumulation of wealth’ Richard Wilkinson'One of the most talked-about books to the moment … Limitarianism floats the heretical idea that fixing society isn’t just about saving the poorest from destitution, but about putting a cap on how much the richest are able to own' SpectatorNo-one deserves to be a millionaire. Not even you. We all notice when the poor get poorer: when there are more rough sleepers and food bank queues start to grow. But if the rich become richer, there is nothing much to see in public and, for most of us, daily life doesn't change. Or at least, not immediately.In this astonishing, eye-opening intervention, world-leading philosopher and economist Ingrid Robeyns exposes the true extent of our wealth problem, which has spent the past fifty years silently spiralling out of control. In moral, political, economic, social, environmental and psychological terms, she shows, extreme wealth is not only unjustifiable but harmful to us all - the rich included.In place of our current system, Robeyns offers a breathtakingly clear alternative: limitarianism. The answer to so many of the problems posed by neoliberal capitalism - and the opportunity for a vastly better world - lies in placing a hard limit on the wealth that any one person can accumulate. Because nobody deserves to be a millionaire. Not even you.*Shortlisted for the Socrates Philosophy Prize*

A New Yorker Best Book of 2024A History Today Book of the Year "A powerful case for limitarianism--the idea that we should set a maximum on how much resources one individual can appropriate. A must-read " --Thomas Piketty, bestselling author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century An original and galvanizing indictment of the world's uber-rich that boldly argues for a cap on wealth from the philosopher who coined the term "limitarianism." How much money is too much? Is it ethical, and democratic, for an individual to amass a limitless amount of wealth, and then spend it however they choose? As democracies weaken, our climate becomes increasingly unpredictable, and inequality worsens, many of us feel that the obvious answer is no - but what can we do about it? Economist and philosopher Ingrid Robeyns has long written and argued for the principle she calls "limitarianism" - a "common sense" (Jia Tolentino) case against extreme wealth which posits that a considered cap on one's individual wealth is an urgent ethnical concern that will ultimately lead to healthier, more democratic societies. In this "provocative consideration of extreme wealth accumulation" (The New Yorker) Robeyns ignites an urgent debate about wealth and when, how and why to limit it, calling into question the legitimacy of capitalism and neoliberalism and inviting us to a radical reimagining of our world.

Notions such as wellbeing, freedom, and social justice are integral to evaluating social progress and developing policies. One increasingly influential way to think about these concepts is the capability approach, a theoretical framework which was pioneered by the philosopher and economist Amartya Sen in the 1980s. In this book Ingrid Robeyns orientates readers new to the capability approach through offering an explanation of this framework. Wellbeing, Freedom and Social Justice also endeavors to resolve historical disputes in the literature and thus will be equally engaging to those familiar with the field. The author offers a novel and illuminating account of how the capability approach can be understood in a variety of academic disciplines and fields of policymaking. Special attention is paid to clarifying misunderstandings that have been caused by different disciplinary assumptions and the interpretive consequences they have for our consideration of the capability approach. Robeyns argues that respecting the distinction between the general capability approach, and more specific capability theories or applications, helps to clear up confusion and misinterpretation. In addition, the author presents detailed analyses of well-known objections to the capability approach, and also discusses how it relates to other schools of analysis such as theories of justice, human rights, basic needs, and the human development approach. Wellbeing, Freedom and Social Justice offers an original and comprehensive account of the field. The book will appeal to scholars of the capability approach as well as new readers looking for an interdisciplinary introduction.