| Physical description |
xv, 510 pages ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (472-492) and index. |
| Contents |
1 Moral relativism and slavery 1 -- 2 Cultural plurality, feminism, communitarianism, and a theory of individuality 8 -- 3 Individuality, diverse egalitarianisms, and objectivity 11 -- 4 Outline of the argument 14 -- Part I Theory of Political Freedom and Individuality: Slavery, Mutual Regard, and Modern Egalitarianism -- 1 A common good and justice in war 21 -- 2 Capacity for moral personality and the ambiguities of liberalism 70 -- 3 Empiricism, neo-Kantianism, and realism in science and ethics 108 -- 4 Neo-Kantianism and moral realism 149 -- Part II Democracy and Individuality in Modern Social Theory -- 5 Historical materialism and justice 197 -- 6 Two kinds of historical progress 239 -- 7 Aristotelian lineage of Marx's eudaemonism 263 -- 8 Radical democracy and individuality 305 -- 9 Protestant Ethic and Marxian theory 348 -- 10 Nationalism and the dangers of predatory "liberalism" 375 -- 11 Democracy and status 402 -- 12 Bureaucracy, socialism, and a common good 423 -- 13 Levels of ethical disagreement and the controversy between neo-Kantianism and realism 451 -- Conclusion: the project of democratic individuality 467. |
| Summary |
This ambitious and sweeping book presents a powerful argument against moral relativism and in favor of the objectivity of a theory of democratic individuality. Unlike much recent work in this field, the book does not simply adumbrate such a view. Rather, it develops the parallels between various versions of scientific and moral realism, and then reinterprets the history and internal logic of democratic theory, maintaining for example that the abolition of slavery represents genuine moral progress. The book also recasts the clashes between Marxist and Weberian, radical and liberal sociologies in the light of these moral claims, and sketches the institutions of a radical democracy. |
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The book will be of particular interest to all moral and political philosophers, political scientists, and sociologists. |
| Subject |
Individualism.
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Liberalism.
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Radicalism.
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Democracy.
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| ISBN |
0521387094 (paperback) |
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0521382718 |
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