At the confluence of rawlsian political liberalism and neoaristotelician anthropology, Martha Nussbaum’s captivity approach provides a theoretical framework for responding to multicultural tensions. This article is a detailed analysis of Nussbaum’s response to these challenges, which purports to unite axiological pluralism and strong moral universalism. We will argue that the philosopher’s approach brings tension between rawlsian political liberalism and the conceptual framework provided by the list of capabilities. This list poses a challenge due to the democratic deficit of its foundations, as it does not sufficiently incorporate standards of inclusion and representation. As a last step, we will try to address these problems by incorporating deliberative requirements into the Nussbaum approach.