Republicanism A Theory of Freedom and Government

by Pettit, Philip

• ISBN13: 9780198296423
• ISBN10: 0198296428
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-01-27
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This is the first full-length presentation of a republican alternative to the liberal and communitarian theories that have dominated political philosophy in recent years. The latest addition to the acclaimed Oxford Political Theory series, Pettit's eloquent and compelling account opens with an examination of the traditional republican conception of freedom as non-domination, contrasting this with established negative and positive views of liberty. The first part of the book traces the rise and decline of this conception, displays its many attractions, and makes a case for why it should still be regarded as a central political ideal. The second part of the book looks at what the implementation of the ideal would require with regard to substantive policy-making, constitutional and democratic design, regulatory control and the relation between state and civil society. Prominent in this account is a novel concept of democracy, under which government is exposed to systematic contestation, and a vision of state-societal relations founded upon civility and trust. Pettit's powerful and insightful new work offers not only a unified, theoretical overview of the many strands of republican ideas, but also a new and sophisticated perspective on studies in related fields including the history of ideas, jurisprudence, and criminology.

Author Biography

Philip Pettit, is Professor of Social and Political Theory at the Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University and visiting Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(16)
PART I. REPUBLICAN FREEDOM
Before Negative and Positive Liberty	17	(34)
Liberty as Non-domination	51	(29)
Non-domination as a Political Ideal	80	(30)
Liberty, Equality, Community	110	(19)
PART II. REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT
Republican Aims: Causes and Policies	129	(42)
Republican Forms: Constitutionalism and Democracy	171	(35)
Checking the Republic	206	(35)
Civilizing the Republic	241	(30)
Republicanism: A Propositional Summary	271	(12)
Republicanism: Once more with Hindsight	283	(23)
Bibliography	306	(15)
Index	321