Should There Be a Limit to Wealth? (with Ingrid Robeyns)

About this episode

The episode discusses the concept of limitarianism and whether there should be limits to extreme wealth accumulation.

Economic debates often focus on poverty — how to raise wages, strengthen safety nets, and ensure people don’t fall too far behind. But what if fairness also requires asking a different question: how much wealth is too much? This week, we’re resharing our conversation with ethics professor Ingrid Robeyns about her idea of limitarianism — the argument that societies should place moral limits on extreme wealth accumulation. Rather than starting with policy prescriptions, Robeyns asks a deeper question about justice, democracy, and what kind of economy we want to live in. As inequality continues to dominate public debate, this conversation invites listeners to reconsider something we rarely question: not just how to lift people up, but whether an economy without limits at the top can truly work for everyone. Ingrid Robeyns is a distinguished scholar and Professor of Ethics of Institutions at Utrecht University, and author of the new book, Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth. Professor Robeyns’ research in the field of Ethics and Political Philosophy focuses on issues of justice, inequality, well-being, and the ethical dimensions of societal structures and policies. Social…

People in this episode

Host: Nick Hanauer

Guest: Ingrid Robeyns

Topics covered

• wealth limits
• limitarianism
• economic justice
• inequality
• ethics
• democracy

Keywords

• wealth
• limitarianism
• inequality
• economic justice
• ethics
• democracy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Utrecht University

Books & works: Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth

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