Political Thinking, Political Theory, and Civil Society

by Delue, Steven M.

• ISBN13: 9780321085597
• ISBN10: 0321085590
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-01-01
• Publisher: Longman

Summary

DeLue, Steven M., Political Thinking, Political Theory, and Civil Society, 2nd Edition*\ A comprehensive and thoughtful overview of the Western tradition of political thought, this book approaches the subject in a way that helps readers develop their own political thinking and critical thinking skills. Readers are asked to consider: What is the nature of a civil society and why is it important? The major writers discussed in the book are read not only with an interest in understanding their views, but also an interest in understanding their relationship to the idea of a civil society. DeLue contends that a civil society is important for securing the way of life that most of us value and want to preserve, a way of life that allows people to place significance on their own lives. For those interested in politics and theories.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Introduction	1	(1)
Political Thinking and Political Theory	1	(2)
The Link Between Political Theory and Political Thinking	3	(1)
Socrates of the Apology and the Crito	3	(4)
The Rest of the Book	7	(3)
Endnotes	9	(1)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	9	(1)
Part I Classical, Christian, Non-Christian, and Machiavellian Approaches
The Importance of a Civil Society	10	(14)
Civil Society: The Problem Faced	10	(2)
The Democratic Civil Society	12	(1)
Civil Society of Mediating Groups	13	(1)
Civil Society, the Liberal Solution	14	(1)
Liberal Civil Society: The Justification	15	(1)
The Civic Virtues of Toleration and Mutual Respect	16	(2)
The Market Dimension of Civil Society: Adam Smith's Dilemma	18	(4)
The Importance of Civil Society	22	(2)
Endnotes	22	(1)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	23	(1)
Plato: Civic Virtue and the Just Society	24	(19)
Introduction	24	(2)
Plato's ``Just Society''	25	(1)
Plato's Republic: What Justice Is Not: Cephalus and Polemarchus	26	(1)
What Justice Is Not: Thrasymachus	27	(2)
Thrasymachus's Arguments	27	(2)
The Next Question: What Is Justice?	29	(1)
The Basic Dimensions of Society	29	(1)
The Guardians and the Three Parts of the Soul	30	(3)
The Philosopher as King	33	(1)
Justice, Civic Virtue, and the Noble Lie	34	(3)
Wisdom, Courage, Moderation, and Justice	34	(3)
Democracy and Injustice	37	(2)
Plato and Civil Society	39	(4)
Endnotes	40	(1)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	41	(2)
Aristotle's Response to Plato: The Importance of Friendship	43	(20)
Introduction	43	(1)
Scientific Knowledge and Practical Intelligence	44	(2)
Aristotle on Plato's Forms and the Search for Happiness	46	(2)
The Nature of the Polis	48	(2)
Citizenship and Friendship	50	(2)
Slavery and Friendship	52	(1)
Citizenship and Differentials in Contribution	53	(1)
Family and Private Property	53	(2)
Constitutions: Just and Unjust	55	(2)
Democracy and Public Deliberation	57	(2)
Aristotle and Civil Society	59	(4)
Endnotes	61	(1)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	62	(1)
Christian Conceptions of Civic Virtue	63	(21)
Introduction	63	(1)
Introduction to Augustine: Cicero	63	(3)
The Problem of Sin	66	(1)
The Two Cities: The Earthly City and the Heavenly City	67	(1)
Implications of Augustine's View for Civic Virtue and Civil Society	68	(2)
St. Thomas Aquinas: Justice Restored	70	(1)
The Natural Law in Aquinas	71	(3)
Human Law and Civic Virtue	74	(1)
Aquinas on the Question of Civic Virtue and Civil Society	75	(1)
Luther and Calvin: An Introduction	76	(1)
Luther and Calvin: Morality and Civic Virtue	77	(1)
The State and Intellectual Freedom in Luther and Calvin	78	(1)
The Implications for Civic Virtue and Civil Society	79	(1)
Transition to Machiavelli	80	(4)
Endnotes	81	(2)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	83	(1)
Niccolo Machiavelli: Civic Virtue and Civil Society	84	(16)
Historical Setting and Introduction	84	(2)
The Prince	86	(6)
Monarchy	86	(2)
Innovation through Violence	88	(1)
Techniques of Power: Maintaining Appearances	89	(3)
The Discourses and Republican Forms	92	(4)
Mandragola	96	(1)
The Moral of Mandragola and Civil Society	97	(3)
Endnotes	98	(1)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	99	(1)
Elements of Islamic and Jewish Medieval Political Thought	100	(23)
Introduction: Alfarabi's Legacy	100	(2)
Avicenna: The Philosopher and the Lawgiver	102	(2)
Averroes: The Importance of Democracy	104	(6)
Maimonides: The Limits of Reason and Religion	110	(9)
Conclusion: The Implications for Civil Society	119	(4)
Endnotes	119	(3)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	122	(1)
Part II Modern and Contemporary Approaches to Civil Society
Thomas Hobbes and Modern Civil Society	123	(19)
Historical Context	123	(3)
Hobbes's Method	126	(2)
Hobbes and the State of Nature	128	(2)
Hobbes's Civil Society: The Laws of Nature and Civic Virtue	130	(3)
The Role and Structure of the State	133	(3)
The Christian Commonwealth	136	(2)
Response and Rejoinder	138	(4)
Endnotes	139	(1)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	140	(2)
John Locke, Civil Society, and the Constrained Majority	142	(18)
Introduction	142	(1)
The Concept of Political Authority	143	(1)
The State of Nature I: Justification for Political Authority	144	(1)
The State of Nature II: Constraints for Freedom	145	(3)
The Nature of Civil Society and Constrained Majority Rule	148	(4)
Locke's Limited Government	152	(1)
The Right of Revolution	153	(1)
Toleration and Civil Society	154	(2)
Response and Rejoinder	156	(4)
Endnotes	157	(1)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	158	(2)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Community and Civil Society	160	(19)
Introduction	160	(2)
Selfishness and Self-Love	162	(1)
The Second Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Among Men	163	(4)
The Loss of Civic Virtue	167	(1)
The New Social Contract and the New Civil Society	168	(4)
Rousseau's Threat to Civil Society	172	(3)
Response and Rejoinder	175	(4)
Endnotes	177	(1)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	178	(1)
Kant: Civil Society and International Order	179	(16)
Public Reason	179	(2)
The Process of Practical Reason	181	(2)
Kant's Civil Society	183	(2)
Nature's Secret Plan	185	(1)
The New World Order: A Federation of Civil Societies	186	(2)
Public Reason and Civil Society	188	(2)
Response and Rejoinder	190	(5)
Endnotes	193	(1)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	193	(2)
Hegel: Civil Society and the State	195	(16)
Introduction	195	(1)
Phenomenology of Spirit	196	(2)
Civil Society	198	(3)
The State and Civic Virtue	201	(5)
Response and Rejoinder	206	(5)
Endnotes	209	(1)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	210	(1)
John Stuart Mill: Civil Society as a Higher Calling	211	(17)
Mill's Perfected Civil Society	211	(1)
Mill and Bentham and the Principle of Utility	212	(3)
Bentham's Pleasure Calculus	212	(2)
Utility, Justice, and Rights	214	(1)
On Liberty: The Culture of Civil Society	215	(4)
Well-Developed Persons	215	(2)
Opinion Advocacy and Civic Virtue	217	(1)
Self-Regarding Conduct	218	(1)
The Stationary Economy and Private Property	219	(3)
On Representative Government	222	(2)
Response and Rejoinder	224	(4)
Endnotes	226	(1)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	227	(1)
John Rawls: The Just and Fair Civil Society	228	(21)
Introduction	228	(1)
Rawls's Principles of Justice in A Theory of Justice	229	(3)
The Well-Ordered Society	232	(1)
Political Liberalism and Value Pluralism	233	(3)
The Overlapping Consensus and Civic Virtue	236	(2)
Public Reason and Constitutional Essentials	238	(2)
Civil Society and Political Liberalism	240	(2)
Response and Rejoinder	242	(3)
Transition to Conservatives: The Communitarian Critique of Rawls	245	(4)
Endnotes	247	(1)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	248	(1)
The Conservative View: Burke, Tocqueville, and Oakeshott	249	(24)
Introduction	249	(1)
Edmund Burke: The Purpose of Civil Society	250	(3)
The Natural Aristocracy	253	(1)
The Role of Virtue: The Importance of Moderation	254	(1)
Local Affiliations and Religion	255	(1)
Identity and Civic Virtue in Burke	256	(1)
Alexis de Tocqueville and the Commitment to Equality	256	(1)
The Passion for Equality	257	(1)
Voluntary Associations and Local Government	257	(2)
Materialism and Religion	259	(1)
Threats to Civil Society	260	(2)
Tocqueville, Identity, and Civic Virtue	262	(1)
Introduction: Michael Oakeshott and Civil Society	262	(1)
Oakeshott's Free Agent	263	(1)
Civitas Versus Universitas	263	(1)
Civitas, Politics, and Government	264	(3)
Response and Rejoinder	267	(6)
Endnotes	270	(1)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	271	(2)
Part III Critiques of Civil Society
The Marxist Critique of Civil Society	273	(24)
Introduction	273	(1)
Marx's Reaction to Hegel	273	(2)
Political Emancipation: Rights in Civil Society	275	(2)
Modern Alienation	277	(2)
The Norms of Alienated Life	279	(1)
Historical Context of Alienation	280	(3)
The Economic Argument: The Sources of Exploitation	283	(1)
Crisis of Capitalism: Declining Profits	284	(1)
The New Order	285	(1)
Response and Rejoinder	286	(3)
Max Weber and Herber Marcuse: The Bureaucratic State	289	(8)
Endnotes	294	(2)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	296	(1)
Friedrich Nietzsche's Critique of Civil Society	297	(24)
Introduction	297	(1)
Dionysus Versus Apollo and the Quest for a New Culture	298	(1)
The Place of Morality	299	(2)
The Master and Slave Moralities	301	(2)
Origin of Slave and Herd Moralities	303	(3)
Democracy and Civil Society	306	(1)
Politics of Bad Conscience	307	(3)
Response and Rejoinder	310	(2)
Michel Foucault's Nietzschean Critique	312	(9)
Endnotes	318	(2)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	320	(1)
Feminist Responses to Civil Society	321	(25)
The Public and the Private	321	(1)
The Silencing of Women	322	(1)
Political Theory and the Feminist Critique: Hegel and Mill	323	(2)
Pateman and Okin on Patriarchy	325	(1)
Okin and the Non-Gendered Viewpoint: The Liberal Conception	326	(2)
MacKinnon: Female Empowerment	328	(3)
Elshtain: The Discourse of Justice	331	(3)
Hartsock and the Marxist, Feminist Viewpoint	334	(3)
Paglia's Nietzschean Perspective	337	(5)
Response and Rejoinder	342	(4)
Endnotes	343	(2)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	345	(1)
Civil Society and Its Challenges	346	(29)
Introduction: A Return to Civil Society	346	(1)
Why We Should Care: Civil Society, Liberal Democracy, and Civic Life	347	(4)
The Decline of Civic Engagement	351	(3)
Why Is Civil Society in Decline?	354	(1)
The Quest for Civic Renewal	354	(2)
Civil Society, Liberal Democracy, and Multiculturalism	356	(5)
Civil Society and Religion	361	(4)
Civility, Public Discourse, and Civil Society	365	(4)
Conclusion: Globalization and a Liberal Civil Society	369	(6)
Endnotes	372	(1)
Partial Bibliography and Further Reading	373	(2)
Credits	375	(1)
Index	376