Liberalism at the Crossroads: An Introduction to Contemporary Liberal Political Theory and Its Critics

by Christopher Wolfe, John P. Hittinger

Overview

Liberalism at the Crossroads provides a fair but lively introduction to key thinkers and schools of thought in the contemporary debate regarding liberal political theory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780847678761
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/24/1994
Edition description:	Older Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.49(d)

About the Author

Christopher Wolfe is Professor of Political Science at Marquette University.

John P. Hittinger is Professor of Philosophy at the College of St. Francis.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	vii
	Preface to the Second Edition	ix
	Introduction to the First Edition	xiii
1	The Liberalism of John Rawls: A Brief Exposition	1
2	The Egalitarian Liberalism of Ronald Dworkin	21
3	The Hegemonic Liberalism of Susan Moller Okin	41
4	Robert Nozick and the Foundations of Political Individualism	61
5	Richard Posner: Pragmatist, Classical Liberal, and Legal Anti-Positivist	77
6	Beyond the Procedural Republic: The Communitarian Liberalism of Michael Sandel	97
7	Alasdair MacIntyre: Recovering the Rationality of Traditions	121
8	Inescapably a Liberalist: Richard Rorty as Social Theorist	141
9	The Unorthodox Liberalism of Joseph Raz	161
10	William Galston's Defense of Liberalism: Forging Unity amid Diversity	177
11	The New Natural Law Theory of John Finnis	197
	Index	217
	Contributors	229

Editorial Reviews

...a collection of well-informed critical essays about leading contemporary theories of political liberalism. It is a valuable introduction to a philosophical debate of great current importance.--Lloyd L. Weinreb, Harvard Law School

It is a terrific book....At a time when many visions of liberalism are vying for a dominance, Christopher Wolfe and John Hittinger do a great service by collecting these interpretive essays on leading expositors and critics of contemporary liberal theory. Much of the interest of the book derives from the fact that the essayists themselves are major thinkers whose ideas are likely to shape or chasten the liberalisms of the future.--Mary Ann Glendon, Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard University, former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See

The 'crisis of liberalism'is incessantly discussed, but seldom have we been treated to such a lucid examination of why liberalism is in crisis. This book should be warmly welcomed by all who want to understand some of the main currents and cross currents of intellectual life in our time.--Richard John Neuhaus, The Institute on Religion and Public Life; Editor, FIRST THINGS

From the Publisher

It is a terrific book....At a time when many visions of liberalism are vying for a dominance, Christopher Wolfe and John Hittinger do a great service by collecting these interpretive essays on leading expositors and critics of contemporary liberal theory. Much of the interest of the book derives from the fact that the essayists themselves are major thinkers whose ideas are likely to shape or chasten the liberalisms of the future.

Mary Ann Glendon

...a collection of well-informed critical essays about leading contemporary theories of political liberalism. It is a valuable introduction to a philosophical debate of great current importance.

Lloyd L. Weinreb

The 'crisis of liberalism'is incessantly discussed, but seldom have we been treated to such a lucid examination of why liberalism is in crisis. This book should be warmly welcomed by all who want to understand some of the main currents and cross currents of intellectual life in our time.

Richard John Neuhaus