A Theory of Political Obligation: Membership, Commitment, and the Bonds of Society

ISBN-13: 9780199274956 / Angielski / Twarda / 2006 / 344 str.

Margaret Gilbert

Opis

Margaret Gilbert offers an incisive new approach to a classic problem of political philosophy: when and why should I do what the law tells me to do? Do I have special obligations to conform to the laws of my own country and if so, why? In what sense, if any, must I fight in wars in which my country is engaged, if ordered to do so, or suffer the penalty for law breaking--including the death penalty? Gilbert's accessible book offers a provocative and compelling case in favor of citizens' obligations to the state, while examining how these can be squared with self-interest and other competing considerations.

Recenzje

Does membership in a political society, in and of itself, involve obligations to uphold that societys political institutions? Margaret Gilbert offers a novel argument in defense of an affirmative answer to this question . . . As a renewed and improved defense of two historical accounts rarely given much credence today, namely an argument by appeal to conceptual analysis and an argument by appeal to actual consent, Gilberts book deserves the attention of all those concerned with the topic of political obligation. Moreover, given her intriguing analysis of a wide range of social phenomena, including promises and agreements, Gilberts book merits the attention of a wider audience as well.