The Real World of Democratic Theory

by Shapiro, Ian

• ISBN13: 9780691090009
• ISBN10: 0691090009
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-11-22
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

In this book Ian Shapiro develops and extends arguments that have established him as one of today's leading democratic theorists. Shapiro is hardheaded about the realities of politics and power, and the difficulties of fighting injustice and oppression. Yet he makes a compelling case that democracy's legitimacy depends on pressing it into the service of resisting domination, and that democratic theorists must rise to the occasion of fashioning the necessary tools. That vital agenda motivates the arguments of this book.Tracing modern democracy's roots to John Locke and the American founders, Shapiro shows that they saw more deeply into the dynamics of democratic politics than have many of their successors. Drawing on Lockean and Madisonian insights, Shapiro evaluates democracy's changing global fortunes over the past two decades. He also shows how elusive democracy can be by exploring the contrast between its successful establishment in South Africa and its failures elsewhere--particularly the Middle East. Shapiro spells out the implications of his account for long-standing debates about public opinion, judicial review, abortion, and inherited wealth--as well as more recent preoccupations with globalization, national security, and international terrorism.Scholars, students, and democratic activists will all learn from Shapiro's trenchant account of democracy's foundations, its history, and its contemporary challenges. They will also find his distinctive democratic vision both illuminating and appealing.

Author Biography

Ian Shapiro is the Sterling Professor of Political Science at Yale University. Among his many books are Containment: Rebuilding a Strategy against Global Terror and The Flight from Reality in the Human Sciences (both Princeton).

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Introduction: Revisiting Democracy's Place	p. 1
John Locke's Democratic Theory	p. 39
Tyranny and Democracy: Reflections on Some Recent Literature	p. 68
Problems and Prospects for Democratic Settlements: South Africa as a Model for the Middle East and Northern Ireland?	p. 80
Players, Preconditions, and Peace: Why Talks Fail and How They Might Succeed	p. 143
Containment and Democratic Cosmopolitanism	p. 157
The Political Uses of Public Opinion: Lessons from the Estate Tax Repeal	p. 180
The Constitutional Politics of Abortion in the United States	p. 219
Democratic Justice: A Reply to Critics	p. 251
Appendix to Chapter Three Surveys of Israeli Business Elites	p. 275
Appendix to Chapter Six Polls on the Repeal or the Fairness of the Estate Tax	p. 277
Index	p. 279
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