The Scepter of Reason: Public Discussion and Political Radicalism in the Origins of Constitutionalism

ISBN-13: 9780792365082 / Angielski / Twarda / 2000 / 143 str.

Roberto Gargarella; R. Gargarella

Opis

This work explores the origins of Anglo-American constitutionalism, from both a philosophical and a historical perspective. It attempts to show that the institutional mechanisms incorporated into the American Constitution were modelled under a strong bias against collective discussion. The book also examines the alternative institutional system then proposed by a different and more radical tradition of thought, and evaluates this alternative from the ideal of a deliberate democracy. The book challenges much of the academic literature on the philosophical foundations of modern constitutionalism, and advances suggestions for a different approach.

Spis treści

Preface. Introduction. 1. Radicalism and Conservatism in England. 2. Radicalism and Populism in the U.S. 3. The Conservative Reaction. James Madison: Institutional Reforms Against the Power of Factions. 4. The Conservative Reaction II. Defending the New Institutions in the Federal Convention. 5. The Conservative Model of Deliberation. Appendix: Contemporary Political Institutions and Deliberation. Bibliography. Index.