The Conquest of Politics: Liberal Philosophy in Democratic Times (Paperback)

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Review
[His commitment to democratic radicalism] has made Barber one of the leading--he is also one of the most intelligent--representatives of contemporary republican political theory. He is . . . a passionate advocate of participation, citizenship, and civic virtue.
(Michael Walzer New York Review of Books )

Addressing the thought of six major twentieth-century philosophers--Bertrand Russell, John Rawls, Robert Nozick, Bruce Ackerman, Michael Oakeshott, and Alasdair MacIntyre--Benjamin Barber maintains that each of them has aided in the 'conquest of politics' by abstract and speculative philosophy. In this lively and accessible book Barber proposes a way of doing political philosophy that does take practical politics into account. The Conquest of Politics is replete with . . . droll and nimble wit. . . . While deflating the sometimes arcane and pretentious prose of philosophers, Mr. Barber's own style succeeds admirably in approximating the riposte of good political conversation.
(Francis Kane New York Times Book Review )

Review
Addressing the thought of six major twentieth-century philosophers--Bertrand Russell, John Rawls, Robert Nozick, Bruce Ackerman, Michael Oakeshott, and Alasdair MacIntyre--Benjamin Barber maintains that each of them has aided in the 'conquest of politics' by abstract and speculative philosophy. In this lively and accessible book Barber proposes a way of doing political philosophy that does take practical politics into account. The Conquest of Politics is replete with . . . droll and nimble wit. . . . While deflating the sometimes arcane and pretentious prose of philosophers, Mr. Barber's own style succeeds admirably in approximating the riposte of good political conversation.

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First Sentence:
THINKING about politics creates a unique dilemma, for it seems inevitably to lead to thinking about thinking; and the more we think about thinking, the less we think about politics. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
empiricist liberalism, neutral dialogue, maximum equality, maximin rule, primary social goods, special psychology, democratic times, entitlement theory, political judgment, methodological solipsism Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, John Rawls, Bertrand Russell, Michael Oakeshott, Mein Kampf, Robert Nozick, Bruce Ackerman, Hannah Arendt, John Stuart Mill, The Scientific Outlook, Basil Blackwell, Harvard University Press, History of Western Philosophy, Unwin Books, Journal of Philosophy, Richard Rorty, Robert Paul Wolff, Brian Barry, Charles Taylor, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Kantian Constructivism, Marshall Berman, Ronald Beiner, United States, William James New!
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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