The Realm of Lesser Evil: An Essay on Liberal Civilization - Brossura

Michea, Jean-claude

 
9780745646213: The Realm of Lesser Evil: An Essay on Liberal Civilization
Brossura
ISBN 10: 0745646212 ISBN 13: 9780745646213
Casa editrice: Polity Pr, 2009

Sinossi

Winston Churchill said of democracy that it was &;the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.&; The same could be said of liberalism. While liberalism displays an unfailing optimism with regard to the capacity of human beings to make themselves &;masters and possessors of nature&;, it displays a profound pessimism when it comes to appreciating their moral capacity to build a decent world for themselves.

As Michea shows, the roots of this pessimism lie in the idea &; an eminently modern one &; that the desire to establish the reign of the Good lies at the origin of all the ills besetting the human race. Liberalism&;s critique of the &;tyranny of the Good&; naturally had its costs. It created a view of modern politics as a purely negative art &; that of defining the least bad society possible. It is in this sense that liberalism has to be understood, and understands itself, as the &;politics of lesser evil&;.

By unravelling the logic that lies at the heart of the liberal project, Michea is able to shed fresh light on one of the key ideas that have shaped the civilization of the West.

Le informazioni nella sezione "Riassunto" possono far riferimento a edizioni diverse di questo titolo.

Informazioni sull?autore

Jean-Claude Michéa is Professor of Philosophy at Lycée Joffre in Montpellier.

Dalla quarta di copertina

Winston Churchill said of democracy that it was &;the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.&; The same could be said of liberalism. While liberalism displays an unfailing optimism with regard to the capacity of human beings to make themselves &;masters and possessors of nature&;, it displays a profound pessimism when it comes to appreciating their moral capacity to build a decent world for themselves.

As Michea shows, the roots of this pessimism lie in the idea &; an eminently modern one &; that the desire to establish the reign of the Good lies at the origin of all the ills besetting the human race. Liberalism&;s critique of the &;tyranny of the Good&; naturally had its costs. It created a view of modern politics as a purely negative art &; that of defining the least bad society possible. It is in this sense that liberalism has to be understood, and understands itself, as the &;politics of lesser evil&;.

And yet while liberalism set out to be a realism without illusions, today liberalism presents itself as something else. With its celebration of the market among other things, contemporary liberalism has taken over some of the features of its oldest enemy. By unravelling the logic that lies at the heart of the liberal project, Michea is able to shed fresh light on one of the key ideas that have shaped the civilization of the West.

Le informazioni nella sezione "Su questo libro" possono far riferimento a edizioni diverse di questo titolo.

Editore
Polity Pr
Data di pubblicazione
2009
Lingua
Inglese
ISBN 10 
0745646212
ISBN 13 
9780745646213
Rilegatura
Copertina flessibile
Numero edizione
1
Numero di pagine
148
Contatto del produttore
non disponibile
Persona responsabile
non disponibile

Altre edizioni note dello stesso titolo

9780745646206: The Realm of Lesser Evil: An Essay on Liberal Civilization

Edizione in evidenza

ISBN 10:  0745646204 ISBN 13:  9780745646206
Casa editrice: Polity Pr, 2009
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