Limitarianism

A New Yorker Best Book of 2024
A History Today Book of the Year
"A powerful case for limitarianism—the idea that we should set a maximum on how much resources one individual can appropriate. A must-read!"
—Thomas Piketty, bestselling author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century
An original and galvanizing indictment of the world’s uber-rich that boldly argues for a cap on wealth from the philosopher who coined the term "limitarianism."
How much money is too much? Is it ethical, and democratic, for an individual to amass a limitless amount of wealth, and then spend it however they choose? As democracies weaken, our climate becomes increasingly unpredictable, and inequality worsens, many of us feel that the obvious answer is no—but what can we do about it?
Economist and philosopher Ingrid Robeyns has long written and argued for the principle she calls "limitarianism"—a “common sense” (Jia Tolentino) case against extreme wealth which posits that a considered cap on one’s individual wealth is an urgent ethnical concern that will ultimately lead to healthier, more democratic societies. In this “provocative consideration of extreme wealth accumulation” (The New Yorker) Robeyns ignites an urgent debate about wealth and when, how and why to limit it, calling into question the legitimacy of capitalism and neoliberalism and inviting us to a radical reimagining of our world.

Ingrid Robeyns holds master degrees in economics and philosophy, and obtained her PhD for a thesis on gender inequality and the capability approach at Cambridge University. She currently holds the chair in ethics of institutions at Utrecht University. In 2018, she was elected as a member of the Netherlands Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts. In 2021, she was awarded an Emma Goldman Award for her work on inequality studies and feminism by the FLAX foundation in Vienna. She lives in Utrecht, Netherlands.