Republicanism in the Modern WorldISBN: 978-0-7456-2807-3
Hardcover
240 pages
June 2003, Polity
Other Available Formats: Paperback
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In response to the dominance of liberalism, some theorists have
recently embraced the republican model as an attractive
alternative. The overriding appeal of these moves seems to be the
robust emphasis that forms of republicanism place on citizenship
and civic virtue in light of what many commentators see as a
decline in the social nature of modern politics. However, many of
these discussions about republicanism are inconsistent and fail to
capture the essence of a classical republican theory for today's
complex modern world. The result is that the ideals and values of
classical republicanism have become diluted and misappropriated as
they are utilized by both philosophers and politicians without a
clear and consistent sense of their historical pedigree and their
relevance to the contemporary world.
Republicanism in the Modern World develops and extends
the theoretical implications of a distinctive republican conception
of liberty as non-domination. Building on the recent work of
Quentin Skinner and Philip Pettit, Maynor explores the complex
interdependent relationship between liberty as non-domination and
conflict, citizenship, and civic virtue to develop a modern theory
of republicanism. Maynor argues that modern republicanism, inspired
and informed by classical versions, can be the basis for a renewed
effort to rejuvenate the political ideals and institutions of the
modern democratic nation-state.
This book will be invaluable to students and scholars in politics, political philosophy and international relations.