Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and Government

Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and Government

The long republican tradition is characterized by a conception of freedom as non‐domination, which offers an alternative, both to the negative view of freedom as non‐interference and to the positive view of freedom as self‐mastery.

The first part of the book traces the rise and decline of the conception, displays its many attractions and makes a case for why it should still be regarded as a central political ideal. The second part of the book looks at the sorts of political and civil institutions that would be required in a society in which freedom as non‐domination is systematically fostered. It outlines the causes and policies, the constitutional and democratic forms, and the regulatory controls that a republican state ought to endorse. And it argues for a vision of the state's relation to civil society in which there is no pretence of doing without widespread civility and trust; the argument is that the state ought, at once, to foster and build on such extra‐political foundations.

Review

Pettit follows Skinner in aligning himself with a version of republicanism that is every bit as realist and anti-perfectionist as contemporary liberalism, yet capable of offering a genuinely radical critique of its deficiencies in promoting a community of equal citizens. (_Res Publica_) Petit's work is a major advance on previous studies of republican political philosophy. In terms of analytical rigour and imaginative insight, it is easily the best book on the subject. (_Mind_)

From the Back Cover

This is the first full-length presentation of a republican alternative to the liberal and communitarian theories that have dominated political philosophy in recent years. --This text refers to the Hardcoveredition.

Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and Government

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