A Civil Tongue: Justice, Dialogue, and the Politics of Pluralism

This book is about a widely shared desire: the desire among citizens for a vibrant and effective social discourse of legitimation. It therefore begins with the conviction that what political philosophy can provide citizens is not further theories of the good life but instead directions for talking about how to justify the choices they make—or, in brief, "just talking."

As part of the general trend away from the aridity of Kantian universalism in political philosophy, thinkers as diverse as B...