Justice, Equal Opportunity and the Family

James S. Fishkin provides a very lucid account of a three-horned problem in American liberalism: the practical incompatability of some of the most cherished American beliefs. Despite almost universal acceptance, selection on the basis of merit, equal opportunity (not equal results), and the autonomy of the family (to dispose of its resources) are at odds. How this 'trilemma' is resolved hits at the heart of contemporary American politics. Fishkin's resolution of this fundamental tension is facinating and problematic.