Down to the last detail, an overly theoretical and abstract
elaboration of exactly what would and would not comprise a decent
society. In his seminal work A Theory of Justice, John Rawls
postulated an ideal Kantian society designed along strict
equalitarian lines. As a philosophical construct, it has been
enormously influential. But in practical terms it has stood just a
bit too far above the wicked ways of man. So, as a kind of
compromise, Margalit (Philosophy/Hebrew Univ., Israel) offers a
slightly more realizable societal framework, one in which
"institutions do not humiliate people." Roughly modeled on George
Orwell's passionate brand of humanitarian socialism, this is the
decent society, the next best thing to Rawls's ideal society.
Margalit is aware of the possible problems, quibbles, and
exceptions to his beautiful model, and he feels compelled to chase
after all of them. With a syllogistic fervor worthy of Aristotle,
he proves this, refutes that, and argues about the other, until the
law of diminishing returns has taken over completely and he is
seriously fretting about such venal trivialities as snobbery and
gossip. While the formal logic behind his arguments is impeccable,
he sometimes veers close to elaborate tautology (always a problem
with such metaphor- and definition-based reasoning). And many of
the assertions buttressing the high towers of theory are extremely
debatable. For example: "Punishment is the litmus test of the
decent society." America has capital punishment. Mexico doesn't.
Which is the more decent society? Even though his construct is more
practicable than that of Rawls, Margalit seems less interested in
political possibility than philosophical soundness, particularly in
his absolutist conception of decency. Like a crossword puzzle, an
ingeniously constructed matrix that cannot quite rise above being
just a clever diversion. (Kirkus Reviews)
Avishai Margalit builds his social philosophy on this foundation: a
decent society, or a civilized society, is one whose institutions
do not humiliate the people under their authority, and whose
citizens do not humiliate one another. What political philosophy
needs urgently is a way that will permit us to live together
without humiliation and with dignity. Most of the philosophical
attention nowadays is drawn to the ideal of the just society based
on the right balance between freedom and equality. The ideal of the
just society is a sublime one but hard to realize. The decent
society is an ideal which can be realized even in our children's
lifetime. We should get rid of cruelty first, advocated Judith
Shklar. Humiliation is a close second. There is more urgency in
bringing about a decent society than in bringing about a just one.
Margalit begins concretely where we live, with all the infuriating
acts of humiliation that make living in the world so difficult. He
argues in a concrete way in the spirit of Judith Shklar and Isaiah
Berlin. This is a social philosophy that resists all those menacing
labels that promote moral laziness, just as it urges us to get
beyond the behavior that labels other human beings. Margalit can't
be earmarked as liberal or conservative. If a label is necessary,
then the most suitable is George Orwell's humane socialism, a far
cry from Animal Farm socialism with its many tools of oppression.
How to be decent, how to build a decent society, emerges out of
Margalit's analysis of the corrosive functioning of humiliation in
its many forms. This is a thoroughly argued and, what is much more,
a deeply felt book that springs from Margalit's experience at the
borderlands of conflicts between Eastern Europeans and Westerners,
between Palestinians and Israelis.
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
