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There is no problem more crucial to contemporary political thought
than the status of democracy, its role, and its problems in the
contemporary world. In this survey of democratic theory, Thomas
Christiano introduces the reader to the principles underlying
democracy and to the problems involved in applying these principles
to real life situations.B
This book reflects on the research and career of political theorist
Russell Hardin from scholars of Political Science, Philosophy,
Sociology, Economics, and Law, among other disciplines.
Contributions address core issues of political theory as perceived
by Hardin, starting with his insistence that many of the basic
institutions of modern society and their formative historical
beginnings can be understood as proceeding primarily from the
self-interested motives of the participants. Many of the
contributions in this volume struggle with the constraints imposed
on political theorizing by the idea of self-interested agents, or
homo economicus. Some reject the idea as empirically unfounded.
Others try to show that homo economicus is even more versatile than
Hardin depicts. And yet others accept the constraints and work
within them. But all pay tribute to the lasting intellectual
contribution of Russell Hardin and the challenge he poses. The book
should appeal to scholars and students interested in collective
action, public choice and democracy, moral reasoning and its
limits, constitutionalism, liberalism, conventions and
coordination, trust, identity politics, social epistemology, and
methods in politics philosophy.
This book reflects on the research and career of political theorist
Russell Hardin from scholars of Political Science, Philosophy,
Sociology, Economics, and Law, among other disciplines.
Contributions address core issues of political theory as perceived
by Hardin, starting with his insistence that many of the basic
institutions of modern society and their formative historical
beginnings can be understood as proceeding primarily from the
self-interested motives of the participants. Many of the
contributions in this volume struggle with the constraints imposed
on political theorizing by the idea of self-interested agents, or
homo economicus. Some reject the idea as empirically unfounded.
Others try to show that homo economicus is even more versatile than
Hardin depicts. And yet others accept the constraints and work
within them. But all pay tribute to the lasting intellectual
contribution of Russell Hardin and the challenge he poses. The book
should appeal to scholars and students interested in collective
action, public choice and democracy, moral reasoning and its
limits, constitutionalism, liberalism, conventions and
coordination, trust, identity politics, social epistemology, and
methods in politics philosophy.
There is no problem more crucial to contemporary political thought
than the status of democracy, its role, and its problems in the
contemporary world. In this survey of democratic theory, Thomas
Christiano introduces the reader to the principles underlying
democracy and to the problems involved in applying these principles
to real-life situations. Beginning with the simple, democratically
inspired presumption that the interests of all citizens are to be
treated equally, Christiano argues that the implications of such a
minimal commitment clarify the nature of democracy and what must be
demanded of democratic institutions. He argues that it is the
collision of this demand for equality with the fact of pluralism of
interests that determines how democratic institutions ought to be
designed. This strong sense of reality will be welcomed by those
interested in practical questions of transition in newly
democratizing states. Christiano combines a broad coverage of
important positions taken by others with the exposition of his own
ideas, allowing his text to appeal to a wide range of readers, from
introductory students to experienced scholars. Clear, accessible,
and often elegant, The Rule of the Many is a splendid introduction
to democratic theory, one that will take its place as both an
important scholarly contribution and an effective and an effective
text.
What is the ethical basis of democracy? And what reasons do we have
to go along with democratic decisions even when we disagree with
them? And when do we have reason to say that we may justly ignore
democratic decisions? These questions must be answered if we are to
have answers to some of the most important questions facing our
global community, which include whether there is a human right to
democracy and whether we must attempt to spread democracy
throughout the globe.
The Constitution of Equality provides a philosophical account of
the moral foundations of democracy and of liberalism. It shows how
democracy and basic liberal rights are grounded in the principle of
public equality, which tells us that in the establishment of law
and policy we must treat persons as equals in ways they can see are
treating them as equals. The principle of public equality is shown
to be the fundamental principle of social justice. This account
enables us to understand the nature and roles of adversarial
politics and public deliberation in political life. It gives an
account of the grounds of the authority of democracy. It also shows
when the authority of democracy runs out. Christiano shows how the
violations of democratic and liberal rights are beyond the
legitimate authority of democracy, how the creation of persistent
minorities in a democratic society, and the failure to ensure a
basic minimum for all persons weaken the legitimate authority of
democracy.
What is the ethical basis of democracy? And what reasons do we have
to go along with democratic decisions even when we disagree with
them? And when do we have reason to say that we may justly ignore
democratic decisions? These questions must be answered if we are to
have answers to some of the most important questions facing our
global community, which include whether there is a human right to
democracy and whether we must attempt to spread democracy
throughout the globe.
This book provides a philosophical account of the moral
foundations of democracy and of liberalism. It shows how democracy
and basic liberal rights are grounded in the principle of public
equality, which tells us that in the establishment of law and
policy we must treat persons as equals in ways they can see are
treating them as equals. The principle of public equality is shown
to be the fundamental principle of social justice. This account
enables us to understand the nature and roles of adversarial
politics and public deliberation in political life. It gives an
account of the grounds of the authority of democracy. It also shows
when the authority of democracy runs out. It shows how the
violations of democratic and liberal rights are beyond the
legitimate authority of democracy and how the creation of
persistent minorities in a democratic society, and the failure to
ensure a basic minimum for all persons, weaken the legitimate
authority of democracy.
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