Is een politiek-liberalistische visie op burgerschap toereikend? Kanttekeningen bij het boek 'Burgerschap' van Patrick Loobuyck

Korte inhoud:This article reflects on the political-philosophical concept of citizenship in response to the recently published book Burgerschap by the Flemish philosopher Patrick Loobuyck. The book claims to provide a nuanced approach to the idea of citizenship, enriching the author’s Rawlsian perspective with insights from other political-philosophical traditions (communitarianism and republicanism). The article summarizes the core ideas of the book and then critically discusses its claim to integrate different schools of thought. With reference to some controversial political issues and drawing on the work of Michael Sandel, it is demonstrated that Loobuyck’s (and Rawls’) emphasis on neutrality and consensus is difficult to reconcile with some key insights from the communitarian and republican traditions, such as the crucial role of potentially contentious philosophical and religious arguments in political deliberation and decision-making. The central paradox of politics, which is that citizens must be able to present their convictions with reasonable arguments in the public sphere, even if those convictions are not entirely publicly justifiable, thus remains largely invisible.

Jaar van publicatie:2023

Reviewstatus:Peer-reviewed