ABSTRACT

This book brings together diverse sets of standpoints on liberalism in an era of growing skepticism and distrust regarding liberal institutions.

The chapters in the book:

  • Relate concerns for liberal institutions with classical themes in perfectionist politics, such as the priority of the common good in decision-making or the role of comprehensive doctrines
  • Analyze how perfectionist intuitions about the political life affect our concepts of public reason or public justification
  • Outline various moral duties we have toward other persons that underlie the liberal institutions or notions of rights functioning across the contemporary political landscape
  • Explore various aspects of pluralism from within influential religious or philosophical traditions, applying insights from those traditions to issues in contemporary politics

The comprehensive book will be of great interest to scholars, students, and researchers of politics, especially those in political philosophy and political theory.

part I|66 pages

Freedom and the good of liberal institutions

part II|66 pages

Public reasonability and justification

chapter 6|15 pages

Perfectionist public reason liberalism

Why public reason liberalism should be reconcilable with political perfectionism

part III|57 pages

The ethics of pluralism

part IV|66 pages

Perfectionist traditions

chapter 13|17 pages

Well-being policy

Consensus hallmarks and cultural variation

chapter 14|19 pages

Aristotle, Athens, and modern democracy

Prospects for a usable past