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A knowledge problem for the civic friendship view of political liberalism

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  • William Schumacher

Abstract

John Rawls and those sympathetic to his views defend a moral principle called the criterion of reciprocity. Some argue that the moral reasons for complying with the criterion of reciprocity are derived from civic friendship, a valuable relationship of collective agency that one can sustain with one's fellow citizens. In this article, I pose what I call the knowledge problem for civic friendship. I argue that citizens have only limited information about whether others are complying with the criterion of reciprocity. Furthermore, I argue that this fact means that citizens only have weak moral reasons to comply with the criterion of reciprocity.

Suggested Citation

  • William Schumacher, 2026. "A knowledge problem for the civic friendship view of political liberalism," Politics, Philosophy & Economics, , vol. 25(3), pages 308-324, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:pophec:v:25:y:2026:i:3:p:308-324
    DOI: 10.1177/1470594X251365689
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