Does Basic Income have to Justify Capitalism? : A Critique of Van Parijs' View of Society

This paper discusses Philippe Van Parijs' book Real Freedom for All. It argues that the book was a cornerstorne of the debate on an unconditional basic income, but that it suffers from an internal contradiction nevertheless: On the one hand, it offers a perspective for a criticism of capitalism (based on the missing freedom not to work) which is very valuable after socialist alternatives have lost all credibility. On the other hand, it aims to defend ("justify") the same capitalism against its critics. Due to this theoretical double-bind, the book is forced to both prettify capitalism and to cover up the potential costs an unconditional basic income would have. It is argued that both effects do not strengthen, but rather weaken the case for an unconditional basic income.