Kategoria BISAC: Philosophy >> Political

Through a remarkable fusion of empirical research and theory, Bruce Gilley makes clear the link between political consent and...

Frederick G. Whelan, a leading scholar of Enlightenment political thought, provides an illuminating and incisive interpretation of key 18th- and 19th-century European political thinkers' accounts and assessments of the societies and political institutes of the non-Western world.

The claim once made by philosophers of unique knowledge of the essence of humanity and society has fallen into disrepute. Neither Platonic forms, divine revelation nor metaphysical truth can serve as the ground for legitimating social and political norms. On the political level many seem to agree that democracy doesn t need foundations. Nor are its citizens expected to discuss the worth of their comprehensive conceptions of the good life. According to Rawls, for example, we have to accept that "politics in a democratic society can never be guided by what we see as the whole truth ( )."...

The analytic movement has long been the dominant philosophical tradition in English-speaking countries. In Analytical Political Philosophy: From Discourse, Edification, distinguished Canadian philosopher David Braybrooke explores this movement by bringing together some of his earlier free-standing studies of the concepts of needs, rights, and rules. He combines the results with an analytical account of how to deal with consequences and thus, arrives at a program for public policy, comparable in generality at least and in trenchancy to the programs offered by Rawls, Nozick, and...

Most books on terrorism deal with descriptions of terrorist organizations and activities, some examine privacy and civil liberties issues, and others treat terrorism as a series of policy choices. Hardly any books deal with the foundational questions of values and violence as they relate to terrorism. The two unique features of this book are that it deals with violence at the normative foundations of values and human dignity and that it includes many of the best-known authors in the world from a variety of disciplines, making it a paradigmatic example of cutting-edge study in...

George Bush's 1988 campaign pledge, "Read my lips: no new taxes," has become a mantra for those who distrust politicians and bureaucrats. The gulf between what political leaders say and do seems to be widening, and in democratic societies around the world, contributing to an atmosphere of cynicism and apathy among the citizenry. Understanding the characteristics and functions of speech in policy processes is a requirement for trying to overcome this problem; indeed, politicians and bureaucrats spend a good proportion of their time and resources discoursing, i.e., writing, speaking, and...

While the romantic notions of social and economic equality once espoused by the socialist movement have been overshadowed by the realities of government power, bureaucractic inefficiency, and class divisions, Glassman claims that the quest for equality and social justice can and must be pursued within legal-democratic societies. He contends that the quest for equality within the democratic framework is politically, economically, morally, and socially beneficial. Using the theoretical principles of Aristotle, Rawls, and Keynes, Glassman demonstrates that the development of practical...

Quantum physics, according to Theodore Becker, provides the means for replacing outdated eighteenth-century political and economic philosophies with a new paradigm more appropriate to our current understanding of physical reality. Becker had selected contributions by a number of political scientists who subscribe to the view that a Newtonian worldview is inadequate to explain today's political phenomena. These theorists believe that the laws and findings of quantum physics provide a more appropriate scientific paradigm. Becker terms intellectual forays exploring this hypothesis thought...

Neal Riemer's new book explores a vital, but surprisingly neglected theme. Riemer first examines two great historical breakthroughs: to religious liberty, and to the American federal republic. He then contrasts these genuine breakthroughs to two spurious ones: Calhoun's theory of the concurrent majority and Marx's theory of universal human emancipation. Riemer also examines a contemporary breakthrough to European Union to underscore the sense of continuing to deal with major problems that the conventional wisdom has deemed incapable of solution. Finally, he addresses a future breakthrough...

Roberts seeks to show how and why world citizenship and mundialism--the building of global institutions--are essential for the human race to solve the growing problems of the environment, international violence, and other major world challenges. World citizenship is described from its origins, and its importance to solving current problems is made clear. Its necessary connection to federalism and democracy is stressed, while the inevitable consequent requirement of mundialism is discussed and emphasized.

Mundialism describes the creation of structures needed by the emerging world...