Perfectionist Politics

Perfectionist Politics PDF

Author: Douglas M. Strong

Publisher: Syracuse University Press

Published: 2001-12-01

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 9780815629245

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Strong (history of Christianity, Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC) tells the little known story of ecclesiastical abolitionism, an important movement during the antebellum period. It involved radical evangelical Protestants who seceded from pro-slavery denominations and reorganized themselves into independent anti-slavery congregations. He also explores how the network of churches in New York State formed a political wing as the Liberty Party and legitimized the connection between church and state. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Confucian Perfectionism

Confucian Perfectionism PDF

Author: Joseph Chan

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2015-12-29

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 0691168164

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Since the very beginning, Confucianism has been troubled by a serious gap between its political ideals and the reality of societal circumstances. Contemporary Confucians must develop a viable method of governance that can retain the spirit of the Confucian ideal while tackling problems arising from nonideal modern situations. The best way to meet this challenge, Joseph Chan argues, is to adopt liberal democratic institutions that are shaped by the Confucian conception of the good rather than the liberal conception of the right. Confucian Perfectionism examines and reconstructs both Confucian political thought and liberal democratic institutions, blending them to form a new Confucian political philosophy. Chan decouples liberal democratic institutions from their popular liberal philosophical foundations in fundamental moral rights, such as popular sovereignty, political equality, and individual sovereignty. Instead, he grounds them on Confucian principles and redefines their roles and functions, thus mixing Confucianism with liberal democratic institutions in a way that strengthens both. Then he explores the implications of this new yet traditional political philosophy for fundamental issues in modern politics, including authority, democracy, human rights, civil liberties, and social justice. Confucian Perfectionism critically reconfigures the Confucian political philosophy of the classical period for the contemporary era.

Beyond Neutrality

Beyond Neutrality PDF

Author: George Sher

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1997-01-13

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 9780521578240

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A major contribution to contemporary political theory examining the state's intervention in people's lives.

Liberal Perfectionism

Liberal Perfectionism PDF

Author: Alexandra Couto

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

Published: 2014-01-31

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 3110336952

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Much of the recent literature on political perfectionism has focused on dealing with objections to this view. This book adopts a different approach: It attempts to highlight the intuitive appeal of liberal perfectionism by presenting a positive prima facie argument in its favour. The book starts by clarifying the relation between political perfectionism — a conception of politics — and prudential perfectionism and ethical perfectionism — a conception of the good life, and a type of ethical theory. It is crucial to start by selecting a plausible form of ethical perfectionism, as it makes an important difference to the plausibility of the political conception based upon it. Once appropriate distinctions are drawn and a plausible form of liberal perfectionism is endorsed, many of the standard objections to perfectionism are shown to fail to reach their target. Different arguments in favour of liberal perfectionism are then proposed and critically examined, but the resilience of some pragmatic arguments against liberal perfectionism is conceded. The book ends by showing that perfectionism can be surprisingly relevant for discussions of social justice and proceeds to draw a sketch of the perfectionist implications for questions of distributive justice.

Liberalism, Perfectionism and Restraint

Liberalism, Perfectionism and Restraint PDF

Author: Steven Wall

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1998-09-13

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 0521624118

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Are liberalism and perfectionism compatible? In this study Steven Wall presents and defends a perfectionist account of political morality that takes issue with many currently fashionable liberal ideas but retains the strong liberal commitment to the ideal of personal autonomy. He begins by critically discussing the most influential version of anti-perfectionist liberalism, examining the main arguments that have been offered in its defence. He then clarifies the ideal of personal autonomy, presents an account of its value and shows that a strong commitment to personal autonomy is fully compatible with an endorsement of perfectionist political action designed to promote valuable pursuits and discourage base ones.

Against Perfectionism

Against Perfectionism PDF

Author: Steven Lecce

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2008-01-01

Total Pages: 361

ISBN-13: 0802094473

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Against Perfectionism defends neutralist liberalism as the most appropriate political morality for democratic societies.

Perfectionism and Neutrality

Perfectionism and Neutrality PDF

Author: Klosko

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Published: 2004-09-01

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 0585466556

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Over the past twenty years, the debate between neutrality and perfectionism has been at the center of political philosophy. Now Perfectionism and Neutrality: Essays in Liberal Theory brings together classic papers and new ideas on both sides of the discussion. Editors George Klosko and Steven Wall provide a substantive introduction to the history and theories of perfectionism and neutrality, expertly contextualizing the essays and making the collection accessible to everyone interested in the interaction between morals and the state.

A Perfectionist Theory of Justice

A Perfectionist Theory of Justice PDF

Author: Collis Tahzib

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2022-08-23

Total Pages: 369

ISBN-13: 0192847112

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Many liberal political philosophers hold that the state should not impose or even promote any particular conception of the good life or human flourishing. It should not, for instance, enact laws and policies designed to elevate citizens' tastes, to refine their sensibilities or to perfect their characters. Instead, the state should restrict itself to maintaining a fair framework of rights and opportunities within which all citizens can pursue their own beliefs about what constitutes a good life. Against this backdrop, Collis Tahzib develops a version of perfectionist political philosophy. Whereas previous perfectionists have argued that the promotion of flourishing ways of life is permissible or legitimate, Tahzib casts perfectionism as a doctrine of justice. On this view, the implementation of laws and policies designed to promote sound ideals of the good life--ideals such as moral, intellectual and artistic excellence--is not merely a legitimate complement to justice but an essential constituent of justice. Over the years, perfectionism has faced various objections: that it is premised on values and judgements that are controversial within modern pluralistic societies; that it is unduly restrictive of freedom or autonomy; that it treats citizens as if they are children, unable to run their own lives; that it expresses the meddlesome mentality of a village busybody; that it mistakenly assumes that there are objective truths about human flourishing; and that it risks the abuse of power by incompetent, overzealous or corrupt state officials. These ideas represent some of the deepest, most vibrant and most powerful strains in liberal thought. In defending perfectionism against these charges, the arguments in A Perfectionist Theory of Justice make a novel and important contribution to longstanding debates about the philosophical foundations of liberalism.

Contemporary Debates in Political Philosophy

Contemporary Debates in Political Philosophy PDF

Author: Thomas Christiano

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2009-03-30

Total Pages: 488

ISBN-13: 9781444310382

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This collection of 24 essays, written by eminent philosophers and political theorists, brings together fresh debates on some of the most fundamental questions in contemporary political philosophy, including human rights, equality, constitutionalism, the value of democracy, identity and political neutrality. Presents fresh debates on six of the fundamental questions in contemporary political philosophy Each question is treated by a pair of opposing essays written by eminent scholars Lively debate format sharply defines the issues, invites the reader to participate in the exchange of arguments and paves the way for further discussion Will serve as an accessible introduction to the major topics in political philosophy, whilst also capturing the imagination of professional philosophers Offers the unique opportunity to observe leading philosophers engaging in head-to-head debate