An Essay on the Modern State / Edition 1

by Christopher W. Morris

Overview

This important book is the first serious philosophical examination of the modern state. It inquires into the justification of this particular form of political society. It asks whether all states are "nation-states," what are the alternative ways of organizing society, and which conditions make a state legitimate. The author concludes that, while states can be legitimate, they typically fail to have the powers (e.g. sovereignity) that they claim. Christopher Morris has written a book that will command the attention of political philosophers, political scientists, legal theorists, and specialists in international relations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521524070
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/29/2002
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	318
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. The modern state; 3. Social order in anarchy; 4. Legitimacy; 5. Reasons; 6. Justice; 7. Sovereignty; 8. Boundaries; 9. The functions of governments; 10. States: pretenses, powers, prospects; Notes; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"Morris...offers a refreshing...return to the tradition of political analysis that focused on the nature of the state rather than on the institutions of government and the political process. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty." Choice

"...Morris's book os an excellent illustration...Morris's approach not only brings contemporary preoccupations into closer contact with those of classical political philosophy, it also nicely shows just how the projects of mainstream contemporary political philosophy are related to those of more radical and revisionist theory. An Essay is a very good book, and anyone interested in political and legal philsophy should find much in the book to engage those interests. It is throughout exceptionally clear and careful, accessible to readers at various levels of sophistication while still responsive to the best recent work on its topics, and full of interesting and persuasive argument." The Philosophical Review

"Christopher W. Morris's An Essay on the Modern State is a wide-ranging and highly provocative exploration of the nature and supposed justifications of the modern state." Eric Mack, Tulane University

From the Publisher