Search results

Both Rawls and Walzer argue for a supreme emergency exemption and are commonly thought to do so for the same reasons. However, far from "aping" Walzer, Rawls engages in a reconstruction of the exemption that changes its focus altogether, making clear its dependence on an account of universal human rights and the idea of a well-ordered society. This paper is therefore, in the first instance, textual, demonstrating that Rawls has been misinterpreted in the case of supreme emergency. In the second instance the approach is reconstructive, providing a reinterpretation of Rawls that fits his treatment of supreme emergency with his broader commitments in just war and international relations. This reinterpretation enables us to draw out a pattern of argument that Rawls appears to share with a much more strident liberal cosmopolitanism. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Ltd., copyright holder.]

Both Rawls and Walzer argue for a supreme emergency exemption and are commonly thought to do so for the same reasons. However, far from 'aping' Walzer, Rawls engages in a reconstruction of the exemption that changes its focus altogether, making clear its dependence on an account of universal human rights and the idea of a well-ordered society. This paper is therefore, in the first instance, textual, demonstrating that Rawls has been misinterpreted in the case of supreme emergency. In the second instance the approach is reconstructive, providing a reinterpretation of Rawls that fits his treatment of supreme emergency with his broader commitments in just war and international relations. This reinterpretation enables us to draw out a pattern of argument that Rawls appears to share with a much more strident liberal cosmopolitanism.

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Section I: Classical Origins of Political Thought -- Section II: Modern Developments in Political Thought -- Section III: Contemporary Understandings of Political Thought -- Section IV: Challenges to Universalism and Foundationalism -- Afterword / Current Engagements in Political Thought -- Index

New for this edition New chapter on international political thoughtThis textbook gives you all the vocabulary you need - political, conceptual and historical - to engage confidently and deeply with political thought and the moral and political worlds in which we live. It traces the history of political thought from Plato and Aristotle to Benhabib and Rorty, following a unique dual structure that introduces key thinkers and core concepts. Topics covered include:Universal moral order o liberty o political freedom o the state o socialism o utilitarianism o distributive justice o group politics o m.

The concept of 'play' is notoriously ambiguous, but we do know that when children engage in make-believe play the activity provides benefits for psychological development, holistic health, and building knowledge and relationships. This article discusses how a group of four-year-old children in New Zealand engage in pretend play by embodying the characters of mud-monsters and possums to avoid the rules around being respectful to their cultural heritage while playing in a protected bush reserve. The data were generated through a project investigating teaching and learning in everyday conversations between preschool teachers and children aged 2½-5 years old. Ten hours of video footage were gathered, of which one hour and forty minutes were in rural bushland. The analysis of the footage here uses an ethnomethodological framework, discussing the work of Sacks and Garfinkel to reveal the sequential organization of moral conduct in situ. The children's multimodal ways of embodying chosen destructive characters through predicated actions reveal how they attempt to evade negative consequences of breaking promises through pretend play. The article concludes with connections to moral philosophy, and by discussing how the turns of talk and gesture co-produce complex learning of culturally and morally appropriate behaviours in situ.

What role should the idea of evil have in contemporary moral and social thought?. The concept of 'evil' has long been a key idea in moral discourse. Now, the contributors to this volume make a start on the important task of systematically exploring evil in the context of political theory. Intuitively, we know what evil means. Yet once we begin to think about its meaning we quickly uncover competing definitions. In recent years, political theorists have generally set the concept aside as outdated or inappropriate. Yet the idea that some things are wrong beyond toleration still has significant currency. If 'evil' can capture that significance, it merits a closer look. Key Features. Presents a broad ranging exploration of the idea of evil in contemporary theory Offers a philosophical analysis of the role of evil in ethics Analyses the idea of evil in classic arguments

Each chapter explores the limits and possibilities of effective ethical reasoning in the current political and intellectual climate. This entire volume is driven by the thought that we need to develop an ethical vocabulary that can make critical judgement

The liberal and democratic political order is underpinned by universal principles of justice. However, the universality of these principles is now being questioned and undermined by challenges from postmodernism, communitarianism, multiculturalism and other forms of anti-foundationalism. These challenges highlight the sheer diversity of cultures and values, treating liberal values and democratic political culture as one idea of social organization amongst many. While social and political orders are capable of almost endless variation, it may be that not every diverse order is legitimate and we can justifiably regard some forms of social organization as beyond the pale and a 'thin' form of universalism has been developed to support this contention. The core idea behind 'thin universalism' is that it is possible to rehabilitate the universalist aspirations of normative theory while acknowledging the force of many antifoundationalist and multiculturalist criticisms of universalism. This book brings together prominent international political theorists to explain and discuss this contested concept and explore how we can stand up for and act upon principles in a world characterized by cultural difference, moral skepticism, and political division. The authors present a variety of perspectives: some chapters are sympathetic to the idea of a thin universalist account of justification, some are reluctant advocates and others are skeptical about its success or even desirability. Opening out core debates in contemporary normative theory, this volume will be of great interest to researchers and scholars working in the fields of contemporary political theory, political philosophy and IR theory.

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- NOTES ON THE CONTRIBUTORS -- Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION -- Chapter 2 DARKNESS AND SILENCE: EVIL AND THE WESTERN LEGACY -- Chapter 3 CONSTRUCTIVISM AND EVIL -- Chapter 4 SYSTEMIC EVIL AND THE LIMITS OF PLURALISM -- Chapter 5 UNREASONABLE OR EVIL? -- Chapter 6 EVIL IN CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL THEORY: ACTS THAT SHOCK THE CONSCIENCE OF MANKIND -- Chapter 7 DOING EVIL JUSTLY? THE MORALITY OF JUSTIFIABLE ABOMINATION -- Chapter 8 EVIL AND THE LEFT -- Chapter 9 THE GLAMOUR OF EVIL: DOSTOYEVSKY AND THE POLITICS OF TRANSGRESSION -- Chapter 10 THE RHETORIC OF MORAL EQUIVALENCE -- Chapter 11 BANAL BUT NOT BENIGN: ARENDT ON EVIL -- INDEX