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Cover image of Pluralism and Liberal Democracy
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Pluralism and Liberal Democracy

Richard E. Flathman

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In Pluralism and Liberal Democracy one of the country's most distinguished political theorists turns to the task of how best to explain, justify, and encourage the concept, practice, and institutionalization of pluralism. By examining and analyzing the accounts and explanations of four philosophers—William James, Hannah Arendt, Stuart Hampshire, and Michael Oakeshott—Richard E. Flathman augments the theories of pluralism most familiar to students and scholars of politics and political theory.

Flathman delves into a number of writings by and about these philosophers, weaving their philosophical...

In Pluralism and Liberal Democracy one of the country's most distinguished political theorists turns to the task of how best to explain, justify, and encourage the concept, practice, and institutionalization of pluralism. By examining and analyzing the accounts and explanations of four philosophers—William James, Hannah Arendt, Stuart Hampshire, and Michael Oakeshott—Richard E. Flathman augments the theories of pluralism most familiar to students and scholars of politics and political theory.

Flathman delves into a number of writings by and about these philosophers, weaving their philosophical theories into the ideology of liberalism. Among the works he studies are James's Some Problems of Philosophy, Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism, Hampshire's Freedom of Mind, and Oakeshott's On Human Conduct.

Flathman finds that pluralism's relation to liberalism has been challenged by the recent emergence of pluralities widely thought to threaten states and societies—such as separatist and secessionist movements. The tension between the desire for unity and the embrace of diversity has created vigorous disagreement about the nature of pluralism and its relation to liberalism. The philosophers studied here embrace these conflicts and challenges, further invigorating a political concept Flathman regards as a centerpiece of liberalism.

Reviews

Reviews

Offers a deeply pondered analysis.

Revealing, thought-provoking, and rewarding.

Much to admire in this characteristically provocative and scholarly book.

Helps us understand the complex ways in which the pluralist sensibility opens the path to a richer and more psychologically realistic liberalism.

Flathman explores varieties of pluralism more broadly and deeply than is typical in contemporary moral and political theory, and identifies a fund of viable pluralist theories that can inform a richer and more defensible account of liberalism.

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Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
232
ISBN
9780801882159
Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. The Bases, Limits, and Values of Pluralism: An Engagement with William James
Chapter 3. Plurality, the Private/Personal and the Public/Political

Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. The Bases, Limits, and Values of Pluralism: An Engagement with William James
Chapter 3. Plurality, the Private/Personal and the Public/Political: Pluralism Chez Hannah Arendt
Chapter 4. The Moral and Political Pluralism of Stuart Hampshire
Chapter 5. Idealism and Pluralism: Michael Oakeshott
Chapter 6. Whether, Which, and Whither Pluralism? Pluralism and Liberalism
Notes
References
Index

Author Bio
Featured Contributor

Richard E. Flathman, Ph.D.

Richard E. Flathman is the George Armstrong Kelly Memorial Professor of Political Science at the Johns Hopkins University.