by John Rawls (2005)
The principles of justice Rawls set forth in this book are those that free and rational people would accept in an initial position of equality. In this hypothetical situation, which corresponds to the state of nature in social contract theory, no one knows his or her place in society; his or her class position or social status; his or her fortune in the distribution of natural assets and abilities; his or her intelligence, strength, and the like; or even his or her conception of the good. Thus, deliberating behind a veil of ignorance, people determine their rights and duties. The first section of A Theory of Justice addresses objections to the theory and discusses alternative positions, especially utilitarianism. Rawls then applies his theory to the philosophical basis of constitutional liberties, the problem of distributive justice, and the grounds and limits of political duty and obligation. He includes here a discussion of civil disobedience and conscientious objection. Finally, he connects his theory of justice with a doctrine of the good and of moral development. This enables him to formulate a conception of society as a social union of social unions, and to use his theory of justice to explain the values of community. Since its first appearance in 1971, A Theory of Justice has been continuously taught and debated, and translated into twenty-four languages. This revised edition includes changes, discussed in the preface, which Rawls considered to be significant, especially to the discussions of liberty and primary social goods. - Back cover.
[G.W.F. Hegel
"Hegel's Outlines of the Philosophy of Right is one of the greatest works of moral, social, and political philosophy. It contains significant ideas on justice, moral responsibility, family life, economic activity, and the political structure of the state - all matters of profound interest to us today." "This new edition combines a revised translation with a cogent introduction to his work."--Jacket.
Harry M. Clor
The issue of public morality, so often at the center of heated debates about pornography, narcotics, public indecency, violent entertainments, "family values," et cetera, is at once a continuing reality and a persistent dilemma in our liberal society. With Public Morality and Liberal Society, Harry M. Clor makes an important contribution to this perennial and intensely debated theme by considering how public morality can be justified in theory and accommodated in practice within a liberal society. Clor's argument departs from the usual discussions of public morality - which spring from the premises of liberal philosophy and are oriented to an overriding concern with personal liberty or rights - and considers instead the moral interests and claims of the community as a whole. He maintains that a reasonable case can still be made for a publicly supported ethnic of self-restraint, and that this enterprise involves the definition of public morality, the articulation of its philosophic justification, and a consideration of its problems and prospects in the face of the community-weakening tendencies of liberal modernity. By systematically analyzing society's need for public morality and by confronting the major libertarian and egalitarian objections to it, Clor clearly shows that what is at stake in the debates about public decency and liberal society is nothing less than our communal self-understanding, our sense of what a liberal community is about, and our understanding of human well-being.
Sonia Lucarelli and Ian Manners
"This book examines the values and principles that inform EU Foreign Policy, conveying an understanding of the EU as an international actor. This volume explores the implications of these values and principles on the process of the construction of the European Union identity"--Provided by publisher.
Malcolm Schofield
How are political communities cemented together? Are rights inherent in the idea of citizenship? Saving the City examines ancient political thought from Homer to Cicero. It explores the problem of exploiting the philosophical past without reading the present back into it, discussing how far we can use categories such as the heroic code, utopianism, ideology, the economy or political rights to examine the evidence. This erudite and stimulating book offers fresh resolutions of disputed issues in well known texts such as Homer's Iliad and the Politics of Aristotle, and new explorations of some less familiar material, notably Plato's Laws, Aristotle's Eudemiau Ethics, Stoic political theory and Cicero's Republic.