At an unsettled time for liberal democracy, with global eruptions
of authoritarian and arbitrary rule, here is one of the first
full-fledged philosophical accounts of what makes governments
legitimate. What makes a government legitimate? The dominant view
is that public officials have the right to rule us, even if they
are unfair or unfit, as long as they gain power through procedures
traceable to the consent of the governed. In this rigorous and
timely study, Arthur Isak Applbaum argues that adherence to
procedure is not enough: even a properly chosen government does not
rule legitimately if it fails to protect basic rights, to treat its
citizens as political equals, or to act coherently. How are we to
reconcile every person's entitlement to freedom with the necessity
of coercive law? Applbaum's answer is that a government
legitimately governs its citizens only if the government is a free
group agent constituted by free citizens. To be a such a group
agent, a government must uphold three principles. The liberty
principle, requiring that the basic rights of citizens be secured,
is necessary to protect against inhumanity, a tyranny in practice.
The equality principle, requiring that citizens have equal say in
selecting who governs, is necessary to protect against despotism, a
tyranny in title. The agency principle, requiring that a
government's actions reflect its decisions and its decisions
reflect its reasons, is necessary to protect against wantonism, a
tyranny of unreason. Today, Applbaum writes, the greatest threat to
the established democracies is neither inhumanity nor despotism but
wantonism, the domination of citizens by incoherent, inconstant,
and incontinent rulers. A government that cannot govern itself
cannot legitimately govern others.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
