Political philosophy after 1945

Introduction : death by language? -- A case study : logical positivism -- A note on expectations -- 'Ordinary' language and political philosophy -- The Rawlsian renaissance -- Rawls : comparisons and contrasts -- Patterns of thought -- The liberal self -- Historicism : the self through time -- Postscript.

"The period following World War Two required a major reassessment of the very nature of political philosophy and political ideas and witnessed the emergence or reemerging of major concepts, such as political freedom, liberty and justice. In this clear and engaging introduction to recent political philosophy Alan Haworth explores the following topics: The philosophical nature of totalitarianism Hannah Arendt's explanation of totalitarianism in the context of Hitler and Stalin's regimes Karl Popper and the idea of the open society The themes of authenticity, freedom and power in the work of Sartre and Foucault The Enlightenment and its relevance to liberalism in post-war political philosophy Rawls and the search for principles of justice Nozick's libertarianism and Sandel's communitarianism Persons, liberty and reason Global justice and the nation state Habermas and the continuation of the Enlightenment project. Haworth skillfully blends assessment of the ideas of important philosophers and political theorists with analysis of fundamental concepts in political philosophy such as freedom, justice and reason, making Political Philosophy After 1945 ideal reading for all students of political philosophy and political theory"--

Intro -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface and Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations -- 1. Introduction: Death by Language? -- Death by Language? -- Notes -- Part I -- 2. A Case Study: Logical Positivism -- The Verification Principle -- Propositions and Their Relation to Facts -- Two Categories of Proposition -- Pseudo-Propositions -- Words and Facts: Correspondence -- Ayer on 'Sense Contents': Wittgenstein on 'Picturing' -- Verificationism and the Language of Morality -- Ayer's Solution -- Other Solutions -- Conclusions -- 'The Scientific View of the World': Descartes's Legacy -- Notes -- 3. A Note on Expectations -- Two Misconceptions -- Weldon: 'Positivist Opposition' to 'Futile Verbal Disputes' -- On First Impressions -- Notes -- 4. 'Ordinary Language' and Political Philosophy -- A Shift in Perspective -- Wittgenstein's Descriptive Approach to Philosophy -- 'Meaning as Use' -- 'Language Games' -- 'Family Resemblances' -- Implications -- From Ordinary Language to 'Ordinary Language Philosophy' -- From Ordinary Language to Political Discourse -- From Augustine on Time to Weldon on Oxford Railway Station -- The Philosopher as Under-Labourer -- Conclusion: The Limits of the Descriptive Approach -- Notes -- Part II -- 5. The Rawlsian Renaissance -- The Question of Justice, and Rawls's Answer to It -- The 'Original Position' and Rational Choice -- The Choice of Principles: Equality and Inequality -- The Originality of a Theory of Justice -- The Social Contract and the Separateness of Persons -- Conclusion: How to Think About Rawls's Argument -- Notes -- 6. Rawls: Comparisons and Contrasts -- Rawls and Plato: Principles of Justice and Social Structure -- 'Justice' in English and Dikaiosune in Greek -- Stability -- Liberalism: Rawls, J.S. Mill and Isaiah Berlin -- Mill.