C.B. MacPherson: Dilemmas of Liberalism and Socialism [Paperback]

William Leiss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1989

Crawford Brough Macpherson, an extremely influential writer and teacher and Canada's pre-eminent political theorist, won an international reputation for his controversial interpretation of liberalism. In the first book to examine the entire range of Macpherson's writings, William Leiss seeks to place that interpretation of liberalism within the overall framework of Macpherson's intellectual development. Focusing on two key themes - property and the state - Leiss tracks Macpherson's analysis of the contradictions of liberal-democracy through all of his writings, beginning with his 1935 M.A. thesis supervised by Harold Laski at LSE. His concluding chapter critically examines the core of Macpherson's political philosophy - the distinction between extractive and developmental powers - against the background of social change in the democracies of the West in the period since the end of the Second World War. There is a new preface by the author that reviews books and articles on Macpherson published in the period since this book first appeared in 1988.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William Leiss, a fellow and past-president of the Royal Society of Canada, is author or senior co-author of ten books including In the Chamber of Risks and, with Douglas Powell, Mad Cows and Mother's Milk, now in its second edition.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: New World Perspectives (June 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 092039339X
• ISBN-13: 978-0920393390
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,189,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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