Liberal Pluralism: The Implications of Value Pluralism for Political Theory and Practice / Edition 1

by William A. Galston

Overview

William Galston is a distinguished political philosopher whose work is informed by the experience of having served from 1993-1995 as President Clinton's Deputy Assistant for Domestic Policy. Isaiah Berlin first advanced the moral theory of value pluralism in the 1950s and it subsequently was developed by a number of distinguisthed scholars, including Galston. In Liberal Pluralism, Galston defends a version of value pluralism for political theory and practice. Against the contentions of John Gray and others, Galston argues that value pluralism undergirds a kind of liberal politics that gives great weight to the ability of individuals and groups to live their lives in accordance with their deepest beliefs about what gives meaning and purpose to life. This account of liberal pluralism is shown to have important implications for political deliberation and decision-making, for the design of public institutions, and for the division of legitimate authority among government, religious institutions, civil society, parents and families, and individuals. Liberal pluralism leads to a vision of a good society in which political institutions are active in a limited sphere and in which, within broad limits, families and civil associations may organize and conduct themselves in ways that are not congruent with the principles that govern the public sphere. William Galston is Professor, School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland and Director at the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy. He is the author of Liberal Purposes (Cambridge, 1991), which won the Spitz Prize. Galston's other books include Justice and the Human Good (Chicago, 1980) and IKant and the Problem of History (Chicago, 1975). He is also a Senior Advisor to the Democratic Leadership Council and the Progressive Policy Institute.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521012492
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/06/2002
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	5.94(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.55(d)
Lexile:	1460L (what's this?)

Table of Contents

Part I. Introduction: 1. Introduction; Part II. From Value Pluralism to Liberal Pluralist Theory: 2. Two concepts of Liberalism; 3. Three sources of liberal pluralism; 4. Liberal pluralist theory: comprehensive, not political; 5. From value pluralism to liberal pluralist politics; 6. Value pluralism and political community; Part III. The Practice of Liberal Pluralism: 7. Democracy and value pluralism; 8. Parents, government, and children: authority over education in the liberal pluralist state; 9. The public framework of the liberal pluralist state; 10. Liberal pluralism and civic goods.

Editorial Reviews

Liberal states are not, Galston insists, built on the enthronement of reason over faith, personal autonomy over duty to communal traditions, or similarly controversial claims about how human beings should live.... Liberal Pluralism should significantly advance the discussion of these topics and help create, if not consensus, at least greater clarity about how we can all get along in an increasingly diverse society.
—Commonweal

David McCabe

Galston (Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, U. of Maryland) outlines and defends a political theory of liberal pluralism. Liberalism requires a presumption of expressive liberty in which individuals and groups are allowed to live their lives as they see fit within a range of legitimate variation. This variation, he argues, is brought about by an adherence to pluralism, which (unlike relativism) sees objective differences between good and bad, but insists that the goods cannot be hierarchically ordered or reduced to a common measure, with the exception of the basic goods that form a part of any conception of a good life. After outlining the theory, he applies it to questions of democracy, authority over education, freedom of association, and civic goods. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"This is an important task, which Galston fills with elegance and clarity." Philosophy in Review

"Recommended for upper-division undergraduates and above." Choice

"Galston's ideas concerning the nature of value pluralism as presented in Liberal Pluralism are both interesting and convincing." Perspectives on Politics

"Liberal Pluralism would work well in a course exploring political theory beyond current partisan politics. Galston's classical liberalism, tempered by a rejection of the radical individualism now endemic in much American political discourse, is a fine contribution to the field." - Journal of Church and State, Richard Heyduck, First United Methodist Church

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