Politics in the Times of Indignation - (Political Theory and Contemporary Philosophy) by Daniel Innerarity (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Politics in the Times of Indignation provides a critical look at Western liberal democracies in crisis, to provide us with the theoretical tools to make sense of the political disorientation of our times.

Indispensable for understanding the present state of democratic societies, this book is a lens through which we can study numerous contemporary developments. He examines the popular indignation that has accompanied the crisis of governmental legitimacy, which is aggravated by the economic crisis in various countries and demonstrated by groups such as the Occupy Wall Street Movement in the US, Podemos in Spain, or La France Insoumise in France.

At the same time, Innerarity endeavors to offer a universal, rather than a merely circumstantial, interpretation of the transformations that are still ongoing in our political systems, as well as of those that need to be put in place in order to satisfy the expectations and rights of democratic citizenship. Politics in the Times of Indignation represents a guiding thread through political developments, as well as a conceptual tool-box for understanding the meaning of the current crisis of representation, the fate of political parties, the relation between ethics and politics, and how politics can become an intelligent enterprise.

Review Quotes

In this original and timely book, Daniel Innerarity implores us to rethink the "game of politics," and the concepts that we use to understand it, in order to judge it with all the severity it deserves. As he pushes against the cynics, Innerarity reminds us that political philosophy can still be done and that it matters that it is.

Innerarity provides a thought-provoking analysis of the political culture in liberal democracies as a changing world undermines the basis of its stability. He poses important questions, and makes a powerful case for seeking answers in a politics that is an intelligent, responsive and - above all - universal activity.
Roger Mortimore, Professor of Public Opinion and Political Analysis, King's College London, UK

Penetrating, provocative and precise: this book is a major contribution to the evolving global debate about the future of democracy
Lord Anthony Giddens, Fellow of King's College, Cambridge and former Director of the London School of Economics, UK

About the Author

Daniel Innerarity is Professor of Political and Social Philosophy and Ikerbasque researcher at the University of the Basque Country, Spain.