ABSTRACT

First published in 1976. This study continues an endeavour whose aim was to use traditional concepts as a basis for the discussion of contemporary political predicaments. The endeavour began with the publication of the symposium In Defense of Sovereignty (1969). Its long-range goal is to consider under a common denominator—relativism in politics— various aspects of theory such as the basic concepts discussed in the present essay, together with more modern theories of democracy and the wider spectrum of political ideologies.

chapter |5 pages

Introduction

chapter Chapter I|18 pages

Is the Social Contract Obsolete?

chapter Chapter II|22 pages

The General Will and the Public Interest

chapter Chapter III|22 pages

Sovereignty and the Crisis of Authority

chapter Chapter IV|27 pages

Sovereignty in Political Theory

chapter Chapter V|18 pages

Natural Law

chapter Chapter VI|14 pages

From Natural Law to Public Philosophy

chapter Chapter VII|42 pages

The Consequences of Relativism and Behaviouralism