About this item
Highlights
- What is the proper subject matter for political theory?
- About the Author: David Held is Professor of Politics and Sociology at Open University, and the author of several books, most recently Political Theory and the Modern State: Essays on State, Power, and Democracy.
- 372 Pages
- Political Science, History & Theory
Description
Book Synopsis
What is the proper subject matter for political theory? Uncertainty about the most appropriate way of answering these questions provides the key rationales for this volume: to provide a comprehensive overview of the central questions and debates in contemporary political thought and to offer guidelines for the reformulation of political theory made necessary by the philosophical and substantive problems it faces today.
The twelve essays in this book examine some of the classic traditional questions of political theory: the nature of obligation, equality, liberty, the public, the private, democracy, and justice. They also examine questions that relate these notions to a broader framework encompassing the many recent changes in the nation-state, forms of sovereignty, domestic and international law, violence and warfare, and domestic and international political economy.
The contributors are leading scholars in political theory from the United States, Europe, and Africa: Samir Amin, Charles Beitz, Antonio Cassese, John Dunn, Jon Elster, David Held, Agnes Heller, Steven Lukes, Iain McLean, Claus Offe, Susan Moller Okin, Onora O'Neill and Ulrich K. Preuss.
From the Back Cover
Uncertainty about the most appropriate way of answering these questions provides the key rationales for this volume: to provide a comprehensive overview of the central questions and debates in contemporary political thought and to offer guidelines for the reformulation of political theory made necessary by the philosophical and substantive problems it faces today.Review Quotes
"Political Theory Today brings together an outstanding set of original papers that will be of great value to anyone interested in contemporary political theory. What is especially impressive about the book is the balance of essay on issues of domestic and international politics."
--Joshua Cohen
, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
"Political Theory Today has something for everyone from the neophyte to the hardened professional. Especially valuable is the emphasis on the important and relatively neglected subject of international political morality."
--Brian Barry
, London School of Economics
About the Author
David Held is Professor of Politics and Sociology at Open University, and the author of several books, most recently Political Theory and the Modern State: Essays on State, Power, and Democracy.
