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Book Cover
Book
Author Swift, Adam, 1961-

Title Political philosophy : a beginners' guide for students and politicians / Adam Swift
Published Cambridge, UK : Polity Press ; Malden, MA : Blackwell Publishers, 2001

Copies

Location Call no. Vol. Availability
 MELB  320.01 Swi/Ppa  AVAILABLE
Description xi, 194 pages ; 22 cm
Contents Pt. 1. Social Justice -- Concept v. conceptions: the case of justice -- Hayek v. social justice -- Rawls: justice as fairness -- Nozick: justice as entitlement -- Popular opinion: justice as desert -- Pt. 2. Liberty -- Two concepts of liberty? -- Three distinctions between conceptions of liberty -- Freedom, private property, the market and redistribution -- Resisting the totalitarian menace -- Pt. 3. Equality -- The egalitarian plateau -- Equality of opportunity -- Equality and relativities: should we mind the gap? -- Positional goods -- Three positions that look egalitarian but aren't really -- Equality strikes back -- Pt. 4. Community -- Correcting misunderstandings and misrepresentations -- Outstanding issues
Summary "Political Philosophy: A Beginners' Guide for Students and Politicians answers these important questions. Accessible and lively, the book is an ideal student text, but it also brings the insights of the world's leading political philosophers to a wide general audience. Using plenty of examples, it equips readers to think for themselves about the ideas that shape political life." "Democracy works best when both politicians and voters move beyond rhetoric to think clearly and carefully about the political principles that should govern their society. But clear thinking is difficult in an age when established orthodoxies have fallen by the wayside. Bringing political philosophy out of the ivory tower and within the reach of all, this book provides us with tools to cut through the complexities of modern politics. In so doing, it makes a valuable contribution to the democratic process."--BOOK JACKET
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
SUBJECT Liberty. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no98002580
Subject Communities.
Political science -- Philosophy.
Liberty.
Social justice.
Equality.
LC no. 2001001421
ISBN 074562846X alkaline paper
0745628478 paperback alkaline paper