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Value pluralism is the idea, associated with the late Isaiah
Berlin, that fundamental human values are irreducibly plural and
incommensurable. Ends like liberty, equality and community are
intrinsic goods which can neither be ranked in an absolute
hierarchy nor translated into units of a common denominator. If
that is true, how can we choose among such values when they come
into conflict in particular cases? In particular, what reason is
there to justify the value ranking characteristic of liberal
democracy, favouring personal autonomy and toleration? Recent
commentators have seen value pluralism as undermining the
traditional claims of liberalism to universal authority, rendering
it at best no more than one political form among others with no
greater claim to legitimacy. Against that view, George Crowder
argues that a strong distinctive case for liberalism as a universal
project is implied by value pluralism itself. Reflection on the
elements of value pluralism yields a set of ethical principles,
including respect for universal values, rejection of political
utopianism, promotion of value diversity, accommodation of
reasonable disagreement, and cultivation of civic virtues. Those
principles are best satisfied by a liberal form of politics
characterised by a strong commitment to personal autonomy, by
policies of moderate redistribution and multiculturalism, and by
constitutional restraints on democractic politics. This is the
first book-length defence of liberalism on the basis of value
pluralism, complementing and extending the work of Berlin and
others.>
Value pluralism is the idea, most prominently endorsed by Isaiah
Berlin, that fundamental human values are universal, plural,
conflicting, and incommensurable with one another.
Incommensurability is the key component of pluralism, undermining
familiar monist philosophies such as utilitarianism. But if values
are incommensurable, how do we decide between them when they
conflict? George Crowder assesses a range of responses to this
problem proposed by Berlin and developed by his successors. Three
broad approaches are especially important: universalism,
contextualism, and conceptualism. Crowder argues that the
conceptual approach is the most fruitful, yielding norms of value
diversity, personal autonomy, and inclusive democracy. Historical
context must also be taken into account. Together these approaches
indicate a liberal politics of redistribution, multiculturalism,
and constitutionalism, and a public policy in which basic values
are carefully balanced. The Problem of Value Pluralism: Isaiah
Berlin and Beyond is a uniquely comprehensive survey of the
political theory of value pluralism and also an original
contribution by a leading voice in the pluralist literature.
Scholars and researchers interested in the work of Berlin,
liberalism, value pluralism, and related ideas will find this a
stimulating and valuable source.
Value pluralism is the idea, most prominently endorsed by Isaiah
Berlin, that fundamental human values are universal, plural,
conflicting, and incommensurable with one another.
Incommensurability is the key component of pluralism, undermining
familiar monist philosophies such as utilitarianism. But if values
are incommensurable, how do we decide between them when they
conflict? George Crowder assesses a range of responses to this
problem proposed by Berlin and developed by his successors. Three
broad approaches are especially important: universalism,
contextualism, and conceptualism. Crowder argues that the
conceptual approach is the most fruitful, yielding norms of value
diversity, personal autonomy, and inclusive democracy. Historical
context must also be taken into account. Together these approaches
indicate a liberal politics of redistribution, multiculturalism,
and constitutionalism, and a public policy in which basic values
are carefully balanced. The Problem of Value Pluralism: Isaiah
Berlin and Beyond is a uniquely comprehensive survey of the
political theory of value pluralism and also an original
contribution by a leading voice in the pluralist literature.
Scholars and researchers interested in the work of Berlin,
liberalism, value pluralism, and related ideas will find this a
stimulating and valuable source.
Multiculturalism is one of the most controversial ideas in
contemporary politics. In this new book George Crowder examines
some of the leading responses to multiculturalism, both supportive
and critical, found in the work of recent political theorists. The
book provides a clear and accessible introduction to a diverse
array of thinkers who have engaged with multiculturalism. These
include Will Kymlicka, whose account of cultural rights is seminal,
liberal critics of multiculturalism such as Brian Barry and Susan
Okin, and multiculturalist critics of liberalism including Charles
Taylor, Iris Marion Young, James Tully, and Bhikhu Parekh. In
addition the discussion covers a wide range of other perspectives
on multiculturalism - libertarian, feminist, democratic,
nationalist, cosmopolitan - and rival accounts of Islamic and
Confucian political culture. While offering a balanced assessment
of these theories, Crowder also argues the case for a distinctive
liberal-pluralist approach to multiculturalism, combining a liberal
framework that emphasises the importance of personal autonomy with
the value pluralism of thinkers such as Isaiah Berlin. This clear
and comprehensive account will be an indispensable textbook for
students in politics, sociology and political and social theory.
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