What is Political Theory and Why Do We Need It? (Oxford Collected Essays)

Rajeev Bhargava

ISBN 10: 0195699335 / ISBN 13: 9780195699333

Published by Oxford University Press, 2010

About this Item

Inscribed on title page by the author to a Harvard economist, "To -------, In gratitude for the few days we spent together at Harvard and in the hope that we will spend a few more in the near future. Rajeev, Feb 20, [20]10." Laid in loosely at front are two of the author's business cards (different ones); the economist's work is mentioned in the text. Spine is cocked; top outer edge has light soil; binding has wear; corners bumped; dust jacket has wear; the dust jacket's verso has soil; tight, text clean. xvi, 406 p. Interesting provenance. [b 370 ud helct].

Seller Inventory # 203681

Bibliographic Details

• Title: What is Political Theory and Why Do We Need It? (Oxford Collected Essays)
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication Date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195699335
• ISBN 13: 9780195699333
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

In this collection of essays, Bhargava answers important questions related to Political Theory and its aims. The aim of political theory, he says, is not only to clear up conceptual muddles but to reason systematically and ethically about some of the major social and political problems we face, to illuminate which ethical values are relevant to the context and why, and to give some direction to what we should do. Using the tools of political theory, he tells us the value and dangers of multiculturalism, the significance of political secularism in religiously diverse societies, the continuing relevance of some socialist ideas and explains why modernity must not be viewed only as a monolithic, homogenizing process. He asks what, if any, the cultural injustices of colonialism are and how we should respond to them, assesses the value of institutions such as Truth and Reconciliation in societies that have gone through violence and injustice on a massive scale, argues why it is urgent to jettison stereotypes of one another held by religious and secular persons, clarifies the importance of free expression in democratic societies, and how the state should act amidst growing intolerance and offers a morally complex reflection on 9/11. The book also includes philosophical essays on the methodology of social science.

About the Author

Rajeev Bhargava is Director of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in India.