Elizabeth Anderson Books
Elizabeth Anderson is an American philosopher and professor at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on moral and political philosophy, feminist theory, and social epistemology.
Known for: Private Government: How Employers Rule Our Lives (and Why We Don’t Talk About It)
Books by Elizabeth Anderson
Private Government: How Employers Rule Our Lives (and Why We Don’t Talk About It)
In this influential work, philosopher Elizabeth Anderson explores the concept of 'private government'—the idea that employers exercise a form of governance over workers that is often hidden from public scrutiny. She argues that the workplace functions as a private government where employees are subject to arbitrary authority, challenging the assumption that free markets guarantee freedom. The book calls for renewed democratic debate about the moral and political dimensions of work and economic life.
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Historical Background
Let me begin with history, for the roots of today’s workplace governments lie in the shift of meaning that accompanied liberal thought over the past three centuries. Early liberals like Adam Smith and Thomas Paine understood economic freedom as a condition of independence. The free worker was someon...
From Private Government: How Employers Rule Our Lives (and Why We Don’t Talk About It)
The Rise of Industrial Capitalism
With industrial capitalism came a transformation of work that redefined human relationships. The factory system concentrated workers under hierarchical control. The autonomy of artisans gave way to the regimented pace of wage labor. This evolution brought greater productivity, but at a moral and pol...
From Private Government: How Employers Rule Our Lives (and Why We Don’t Talk About It)
About Elizabeth Anderson
Elizabeth Anderson is an American philosopher and professor at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on moral and political philosophy, feminist theory, and social epistemology. She is known for her work on equality, ethics, and the philosophy of economics.
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Elizabeth Anderson is an American philosopher and professor at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on moral and political philosophy, feminist theory, and social epistemology.
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