According to the neutrality thesis, in designing state policies govern ments should not allow themselves to be informed by any particular con ceptions of the good life. The aim of this book is to contribute to th e debate about this thesis in two specific ways. Firstly, the limits o f acceptable state perfectionism are examined, not on a general level but by reference to some particular concerns of government policy; tra nsgenic animals, future generations, the promotion of the arts, minori ty cultures, the allocation of scarce health care resources, the integ ration of mentally handicapped people into the community, and the expr ession of national identities. Secondly, the book as a whole evaluates the argument that the government has a special task to produce or to maintain intrinsically collective aspects of the good life, because th ese are to be seen as public goods.

According to the neutrality thesis, in designing state policies governments should not allow themselves to be informed by any particular conceptions of the good life. The aim of this book is to contribute to the debate about this thesis in two specific ways. Firstly, the limits of acceptable state perfectionism are examined, not on a general level but by reference to some particular concerns of government policy; transgenic animals, future generations, the promotion of the arts, minority cultures, the allocation of scarce health care resources, the integration of mentally handicapped people into the community, and the expression of national identities. Secondly, the book as a whole evaluates the argument that the government has a special task to produce or to maintain intrinsically collective aspects of the good life, because these are to be seen as public goods.