Document Type

Article

Abstract

A short, provocative review of Rutger Bregman’s Moral Ambition. I sketch his technocratic utopia—“Rutger-land”—a colder, centralized world where fossil fuels are banned, richer people are taxed into moral compliance, UBI prevails, and the landscape is “tobacco-free, malaria-free, poverty-free, and meat-free… just fields of kale and solar panels.” I argue Bregman’s approach is resolutely top-down—activism, lobbying, and policy over enterprise, churches, and grassroots civic life—misunderstanding how wealth is created and how real change happens. Against this centralized moralism, I make the case for decentralization, subsidiarity, and the quiet, dignified work of civil society.

Publication Date

7-14-2025

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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https://lawliberty.org/book-review/rutger-bregmans-centralized-utopia/

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