Partisan or Neutral? The Futility of Public Political Theory |
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| Author:
| White, Michael |
| Series title: | Studies in Social, Political, and Legal Philosophy Ser. |
| ISBN: | 978-0-8476-8454-0 |
| Publication Date: | Jun 1997 |
| Publisher: | Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated
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| Book Format: | Paperback |
| List Price: | USD $54.00 |
Book Description:
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Partisan or Neutral? critically examines the Rawlsian ideal of a public, supposedly neutral, political theory meant to justify contemporary constitutional democracies. Placing this ideal-appealed to by neo-natural law theorists and advocates of 'public theology' as well as by political theorists-against the background of the history of political liberalism, White shows its contradictory nature. He argues that any such legitimating theory will be 'partisan,' in the sense of appealing to...
More DescriptionPartisan or Neutral? critically examines the Rawlsian ideal of a public, supposedly neutral, political theory meant to justify contemporary constitutional democracies. Placing this ideal-appealed to by neo-natural law theorists and advocates of 'public theology' as well as by political theorists-against the background of the history of political liberalism, White shows its contradictory nature. He argues that any such legitimating theory will be 'partisan,' in the sense of appealing to convictions concerning the human good that will not be universally accepted. He concludes that all politics must be imperfect-a matter of pragmatism and prudence in forming the most workable compromises possible and in acquiescing, where our principles allow us to do so, in situations that are often far from optimal.