Gerald
Gaus has developed the most sophisticated presentation of the
antiperfectionist idea that official neutrality between contested
conceptions of the good is demanded by mutual respect among citizens.
However, other aspects of his own political theory -- in particular, his
demonstration of the legitimacy of social coordination toward common
ends -- inadvertently strengthen the case for perfectionism.
I elaborate in a paper forthcoming in the Harvard Review of Philosophy, just posted on SSRN here. This is a paper in philosophy, not law, but it obviously has legal implications.