<実質的自由>の実質的保障を求めて : ロールズ格差原理と潜在能力理論の方法的視座(<特集>労働の<現在>を探る-連続と変化)

The conception of Basic Income proposed by Philippe Van Parijs, which requires an unconditional and universal provision of benefit expounds a logic which goes far beyond traditional capitalism or socialism in that, as he says, "it consists in making accessible to all members of society a parasitic existence" and aims to guarantee the real freedom for all. Moreover, his idea of redistributing the rents of assets equally among all individuals is a perspective that goes far beyond normal libertarian theory. If the Japanese public assistance were to be reformed along the following lines, it could be regarded as a form of Basic Income. The first desideratum is to loosen the stipulation of "the complementary principle", second, to change the provision unit from household to individual, third, to change the way of providing, that is, from providing only for those who are in need to providing for all members of society, while imposing a positive tax on non-needy in the result. The most attractive point of this proposal is that we can expect a dramatically increase of take-up rate. However, we must note that his conception is basically grounded in the liberal market not only practically but also theoretically. This feature appears typically in the following methodological features of his real libertarianism. First, it leaves the evaluation and determination of the actual contents and level of the real freedom in the hands of market mechanism, that is, purely competitive equilibrium price systems. Second, it intends to reduce external points of views, which exist outside of market, and by which individuals can reflect on their actions or preferences behind choices that are one of constraint conditions of the realization of social goals. This feature differs from Amartya Sen's Capability theory (1980, 1985, 1992), though they are common in turning their attention to real freedom, which shows a necessity and possibility to evaluate the contents and level of real freedom outside of market, basing on public reasoning or discussion. It also differs from John Rawls's justice as reciprocity (1971b) which introduces a logic that is distinguished from the logic of market in realizing principles of justice. Rather, it is similar to the neo-classical economics which tries to construct a self-contained and internally consistent theory, refusing any viewpoints external to the theory. If it is the basic standpoint of the real libertarianism, the relationship between the two is interesting. The purpose of this paper is to examine a methodological problem involved in realizing real freedom for all through investigating the impasse the Japanese public assistance is now confronted.