Political Philosophy in the Twenty-First Century: Essential Essays

by Cahn,Steven M.

• ISBN13: 9780813346908
• ISBN10: 0813346908
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2012-09-04
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Moving beyond Rawls, this succinct anthology provides an effective survey of critical works in contemporary political philosophy. Many of the issues central to the history of political philosophy are still being debated. Steven M. Cahn and Robert B. Talisse have assembled this volume to enable professors to teach the contemporary debates along with their historical antecedents. The readings are specially selected by the editors for their accessibility and philosophical impact and are arranged according to five key topics of contemporary debate: equality, justice, liberty, democracy, and human rights. Each part includes three essays presenting unique and sometimes competing views. Thorough part introductions from the editors help orient students and frame the readings that follow, and discussion questions give students an opportunity to reflect on the topics and reach their own conclusions. Brief, engaging, and student-friendly, this important collection is the perfect addition to any political philosophy course.

Author Biography

Steven M. Cahn is professor of philosophy at the City University of New York Graduate Center. He is the author of ten books, including Saints and Scamps: Ethics in Academia, and he has edited or co-edited some forty volumes, including Thinking about Logic (Westview Press) and Political Philosophy. Robert B. Talisse is professor of philosophy and chair of the philosophy department at Vanderbilt University. He is the author or coeditor of numerous volumes, including Democracy and Moral Conflict; Pragmatism: A Guide for the Perplexed; Thinking about Logic (Westview Press); and The Pragmatism Reader.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Robert B. Talisse, Introduction: The Rawlsian Background	p. 1
Equality	p. 13
Ronald Dworkin, Equality	p. 15
Elizabeth S. Anderson, What Is the Point of Equality?	p. 31
Kok-Chor Tan, A Defense of Luck Egalitarianism	p. 57
Justice	p. 81
G. A. Cohen, Rescuing Justice from Constructivism and Equality from the Basic Structure Restriction	p. 83
David Miller, Justice and Boundaries	p. 101
Amartya Sen, Capabilities and Resources	p. 119
Liberty	p. 133
Philip Pettit, The Instability of Freedom as Noninterference: The Case of Isaiah Berlin	p. 135
John Christman, Can Positive Freedom Be Saved?	p. 155
Ian Carter, The Myth of "Merely Formal Freedom"	p. 169
Democracy	p. 179
Richard Arneson, Democracy Is Not Intrinsically Just	p. 181
Thomas Christiano, The Authority of Democracy	p. 199
Joshua Cohen, Reflections on Deliberative Democracy	p. 217
Human Rights	p. 237
Onora O'Neill, The Dark Side of Human Rights	p. 239
Thomas Pogge, World Poverty and Human Rights	p. 253
Martha Nussbaum, Capabilities and Social Justice	p. 261
About the Contributors	p. 273
Source Credits	p. 275
Index	p. 277
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