Gary Dorrien
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- January 2022
- ISBN:
- 9780300253764
- eISBN:
- 9780300262360
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300253764.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
The USA has a rich tradition of democratic socialism despite its long tradition of denigrating democratic socialism as un-American. The former American tradition has sought to Americanize democratic ...
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The USA has a rich tradition of democratic socialism despite its long tradition of denigrating democratic socialism as un-American. The former American tradition has sought to Americanize democratic socialism by speaking the language of individual liberty, trying to build a coalition party of the democratic left, and grappling with American racism, cultural diversity, exceptionalist mythology, and activist religion. Democratic socialists founded the nation’s first industrial unions, proposed every plank of what became the New Deal, and played leading roles in the civil rights movement. Today democratic socialists are leading the struggles for economic equality and the Green New Deal, unsettling the convention that democratic socialism is un-American.Less
The USA has a rich tradition of democratic socialism despite its long tradition of denigrating democratic socialism as un-American. The former American tradition has sought to Americanize democratic socialism by speaking the language of individual liberty, trying to build a coalition party of the democratic left, and grappling with American racism, cultural diversity, exceptionalist mythology, and activist religion. Democratic socialists founded the nation’s first industrial unions, proposed every plank of what became the New Deal, and played leading roles in the civil rights movement. Today democratic socialists are leading the struggles for economic equality and the Green New Deal, unsettling the convention that democratic socialism is un-American.
Judith N. Shklar
Samantha Ashenden and Andreas Hess (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780300214994
- eISBN:
- 9780300245417
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300214994.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
The lectures that comprise this book are a reminder of the legacy and a demonstration of the promise of a critical assessment and evaluation of political obligation. Shklar shows that the crucial ...
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The lectures that comprise this book are a reminder of the legacy and a demonstration of the promise of a critical assessment and evaluation of political obligation. Shklar shows that the crucial questions that any political activist, any reflective citizen, and any existing or aspiring polity should raise are as pertinent today as they were in the past, despite their function and nature having changed over time. The book discusses the practical choices, dilemmas, compromises, risks, and dangers that are the result of the tensions that arise whenever the notions of obligation and loyalty are foregrounded, and when what it means to be a citizen and the aims of a given polity are in conflict. What can I/we do in such a situation? How should I/we act? Shklar takes us through several historical constellations and scenarios in which such questions have arisen and been answered—for better or for worse.Less
The lectures that comprise this book are a reminder of the legacy and a demonstration of the promise of a critical assessment and evaluation of political obligation. Shklar shows that the crucial questions that any political activist, any reflective citizen, and any existing or aspiring polity should raise are as pertinent today as they were in the past, despite their function and nature having changed over time. The book discusses the practical choices, dilemmas, compromises, risks, and dangers that are the result of the tensions that arise whenever the notions of obligation and loyalty are foregrounded, and when what it means to be a citizen and the aims of a given polity are in conflict. What can I/we do in such a situation? How should I/we act? Shklar takes us through several historical constellations and scenarios in which such questions have arisen and been answered—for better or for worse.
Dmitry Shumsky
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780300230130
- eISBN:
- 9780300241099
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300230130.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
The Jewish nation-state has often been thought of as Zionism's end goal. This bracing history of the idea of the Jewish state in modern Zionism, from its beginnings in the late nineteenth century ...
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The Jewish nation-state has often been thought of as Zionism's end goal. This bracing history of the idea of the Jewish state in modern Zionism, from its beginnings in the late nineteenth century until the establishment of the state of Israel, challenges this deeply rooted assumption. In doing so, the book complicates the narrative of the Zionist quest for full sovereignty, provocatively showing how and why the leaders of the pre-state Zionist movement imagined, articulated, and promoted theories of self-determination in Palestine either as part of a multinational Ottoman state (1882–1917), or in the framework of multinational democracy. In particular, the book focuses on the writings and policies of five key Zionist leaders from the Habsburg and Russian empires in central and eastern Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: Leon Pinsker, Theodor Herzl, Ahad Ha'am, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, and David Ben-Gurion to offer a very pointed critique of Zionist historiography.Less
The Jewish nation-state has often been thought of as Zionism's end goal. This bracing history of the idea of the Jewish state in modern Zionism, from its beginnings in the late nineteenth century until the establishment of the state of Israel, challenges this deeply rooted assumption. In doing so, the book complicates the narrative of the Zionist quest for full sovereignty, provocatively showing how and why the leaders of the pre-state Zionist movement imagined, articulated, and promoted theories of self-determination in Palestine either as part of a multinational Ottoman state (1882–1917), or in the framework of multinational democracy. In particular, the book focuses on the writings and policies of five key Zionist leaders from the Habsburg and Russian empires in central and eastern Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: Leon Pinsker, Theodor Herzl, Ahad Ha'am, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, and David Ben-Gurion to offer a very pointed critique of Zionist historiography.
Patrick J. Deneen
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780300223446
- eISBN:
- 9780300231878
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300223446.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
Has liberalism failed because it has succeeded? Of the three dominant ideologies of the twentieth century—fascism, communism, and liberalism—only the last remains. This has created a peculiar ...
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Has liberalism failed because it has succeeded? Of the three dominant ideologies of the twentieth century—fascism, communism, and liberalism—only the last remains. This has created a peculiar situation in which liberalism's proponents tend to forget that it is an ideology and not the natural end-state of human political evolution. As this book argues, liberalism is built on a foundation of contradictions: it trumpets equal rights while fostering incomparable material inequality; its legitimacy rests on consent, yet it discourages civic commitments in favor of privatism; and in its pursuit of individual autonomy, it has given rise to the most far-reaching, comprehensive state system in human history. The book offers an astringent warning that the centripetal forces now at work on our political culture are not superficial flaws but inherent features of a system whose success is generating its own failure.Less
Has liberalism failed because it has succeeded? Of the three dominant ideologies of the twentieth century—fascism, communism, and liberalism—only the last remains. This has created a peculiar situation in which liberalism's proponents tend to forget that it is an ideology and not the natural end-state of human political evolution. As this book argues, liberalism is built on a foundation of contradictions: it trumpets equal rights while fostering incomparable material inequality; its legitimacy rests on consent, yet it discourages civic commitments in favor of privatism; and in its pursuit of individual autonomy, it has given rise to the most far-reaching, comprehensive state system in human history. The book offers an astringent warning that the centripetal forces now at work on our political culture are not superficial flaws but inherent features of a system whose success is generating its own failure.
Francis Oakley
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780300194432
- eISBN:
- 9780300213799
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300194432.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This is the third volume in a trilogy which engages in the political thinkers of the later Middle Ages, Renaissance, Age of Reformation, and religious wars, and the era that produced the Divine Right ...
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This is the third volume in a trilogy which engages in the political thinkers of the later Middle Ages, Renaissance, Age of Reformation, and religious wars, and the era that produced the Divine Right Theory of Kingship. This study probes the continuities and discontinuities between medieval and early modern modes of political thinking and dwells at length on the roots and nature of those contract theories that sought to legitimate political authority by grounding it in the consent of the governed.Less
This is the third volume in a trilogy which engages in the political thinkers of the later Middle Ages, Renaissance, Age of Reformation, and religious wars, and the era that produced the Divine Right Theory of Kingship. This study probes the continuities and discontinuities between medieval and early modern modes of political thinking and dwells at length on the roots and nature of those contract theories that sought to legitimate political authority by grounding it in the consent of the governed.
John Dunn
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780300179910
- eISBN:
- 9780300206562
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300179910.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This book argues that democracy is not synonymous with good government. It explores the labyrinthine reality behind the basic concept of democracy, demonstrating how the political system that people ...
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This book argues that democracy is not synonymous with good government. It explores the labyrinthine reality behind the basic concept of democracy, demonstrating how the political system that people in the West generally view as straightforward and obvious is, in fact, deeply unclear and, in many cases, dysfunctional. It sketches the path by which democracy became the only form of government with moral legitimacy, analyzes the contradictions and pitfalls of democracy in modern America, and challenges the academic world to take responsibility for giving the world a more coherent understanding of this widely misrepresented political institution. Suggesting that the supposedly ideal marriage of liberal economics with liberal democracy can neither ensure its continuance nor even address the problems of contemporary life, the book shows how we came to be so gripped by democracy’s spell and why we must now learn to break it.Less
This book argues that democracy is not synonymous with good government. It explores the labyrinthine reality behind the basic concept of democracy, demonstrating how the political system that people in the West generally view as straightforward and obvious is, in fact, deeply unclear and, in many cases, dysfunctional. It sketches the path by which democracy became the only form of government with moral legitimacy, analyzes the contradictions and pitfalls of democracy in modern America, and challenges the academic world to take responsibility for giving the world a more coherent understanding of this widely misrepresented political institution. Suggesting that the supposedly ideal marriage of liberal economics with liberal democracy can neither ensure its continuance nor even address the problems of contemporary life, the book shows how we came to be so gripped by democracy’s spell and why we must now learn to break it.
Jack Russell Weinstein
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780300162530
- eISBN:
- 9780300163759
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300162530.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This book suggests that the foundations of liberalism can be found in the writings of Adam Smith (1723–1790), a pioneer of modern economic theory and a major figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. ...
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This book suggests that the foundations of liberalism can be found in the writings of Adam Smith (1723–1790), a pioneer of modern economic theory and a major figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. While offering an interpretive methodology for approaching Smith's two major works, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations, the book argues against the libertarian interpretation of Smith, emphasizing his philosophies of education and rationality. The book also demonstrates that Smith should be recognized for a prescient theory of pluralism that prefigures current theories of cultural diversity.Less
This book suggests that the foundations of liberalism can be found in the writings of Adam Smith (1723–1790), a pioneer of modern economic theory and a major figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. While offering an interpretive methodology for approaching Smith's two major works, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations, the book argues against the libertarian interpretation of Smith, emphasizing his philosophies of education and rationality. The book also demonstrates that Smith should be recognized for a prescient theory of pluralism that prefigures current theories of cultural diversity.
Peter A. Meyers
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780300172058
- eISBN:
- 9780300178050
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300172058.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This book shows how the centerpiece of the Enlightenment—society as the symbol of collective human life and as the fundamental domain of human practice—was primarily composed and animated by its most ...
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This book shows how the centerpiece of the Enlightenment—society as the symbol of collective human life and as the fundamental domain of human practice—was primarily composed and animated by its most ambivalent figure: Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Displaying this new society as an evolving field of interdependence, the book traces the emergence and moral significance of dependence itself within Rousseau's encounters with a variety of discourses of order, including theology, natural philosophy, and music. Underpinning this whole scene we discover a modernizing conception of the human Will, one that runs far deeper than Rousseau's most famous trope, the “general Will.”Less
This book shows how the centerpiece of the Enlightenment—society as the symbol of collective human life and as the fundamental domain of human practice—was primarily composed and animated by its most ambivalent figure: Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Displaying this new society as an evolving field of interdependence, the book traces the emergence and moral significance of dependence itself within Rousseau's encounters with a variety of discourses of order, including theology, natural philosophy, and music. Underpinning this whole scene we discover a modernizing conception of the human Will, one that runs far deeper than Rousseau's most famous trope, the “general Will.”
Arthur Kaledin
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300119312
- eISBN:
- 9780300176209
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300119312.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This book offers an original combination of biography, character study, and wide-ranging analysis of Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, bringing new light to that classic work. It examines ...
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This book offers an original combination of biography, character study, and wide-ranging analysis of Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, bringing new light to that classic work. It examines the relation between Tocqueville's complicated inner life, his self-imagination, and his moral thought, and the meaning of his enduring writings, leading to a new understanding of Tocqueville's view of democratic culture and democratic politics. With particular emphasis on Tocqueville's prescient anticipation of various threats to liberty, social unity, and truly democratic politics in America posed by aspects of democratic culture, the book underscores the continuing pertinence of Tocqueville's thought in our own changing world of the twenty-first century.Less
This book offers an original combination of biography, character study, and wide-ranging analysis of Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, bringing new light to that classic work. It examines the relation between Tocqueville's complicated inner life, his self-imagination, and his moral thought, and the meaning of his enduring writings, leading to a new understanding of Tocqueville's view of democratic culture and democratic politics. With particular emphasis on Tocqueville's prescient anticipation of various threats to liberty, social unity, and truly democratic politics in America posed by aspects of democratic culture, the book underscores the continuing pertinence of Tocqueville's thought in our own changing world of the twenty-first century.
Elisabeth Ellis
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300125221
- eISBN:
- 9780300152050
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300125221.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This book argues that if we are to vindicate moral reasoning in politics, we must focus on the conditions of political discourse rather than the contents of any particular ethical system. This book ...
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This book argues that if we are to vindicate moral reasoning in politics, we must focus on the conditions of political discourse rather than the contents of any particular ethical system. This book builds on a interpretation of Kant's theory of provisional right to construct a new theory of justice under conditions of agency and plurality. It develops this new perspective through a series of cases ranging from the treatment of AIDS widows in Kenya to the rights of non-citizens everywhere, as well as the clash between democratic decision-making and the politics of species conservation. The book concludes with a sobering discussion of the probable limits of political agency.Less
This book argues that if we are to vindicate moral reasoning in politics, we must focus on the conditions of political discourse rather than the contents of any particular ethical system. This book builds on a interpretation of Kant's theory of provisional right to construct a new theory of justice under conditions of agency and plurality. It develops this new perspective through a series of cases ranging from the treatment of AIDS widows in Kenya to the rights of non-citizens everywhere, as well as the clash between democratic decision-making and the politics of species conservation. The book concludes with a sobering discussion of the probable limits of political agency.