Philosophy and Real Politics / / Raymond Geuss.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter PUP eBook-Package 2000-2015
• VerfasserIn: Geuss, Raymond,
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2008]; ©2008
• Year of Publication: 2008
• Edition: Course Book
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource

Many contemporary political thinkers are gripped by the belief that their task is to develop an ideal theory of rights or justice for guiding and judging political actions. But in Philosophy and Real Politics, Raymond Geuss argues that philosophers should first try to understand why real political actors behave as they actually do. Far from being applied ethics, politics is a skill that allows people to survive and pursue their goals. To understand politics is to understand the powers, motives, and concepts that people have and that shape how they deal with the problems they face in their particular historical situations. Philosophy and Real Politics both outlines a historically oriented, realistic political philosophy and criticizes liberal political philosophies based on abstract conceptions of rights and justice. The book is a trenchant critique of established ways of thought and a provocative call for change.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction -- Part I. Realism -- Introduction -- Who Whom? -- Priorities, Preferences, Timing -- Legitimacy -- Tasks of Political Theory -- Part II. Failures of Realism -- Introduction -- Rights -- Justice -- Equality -- Fairness, Ignorance, Impartiality -- Power -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Works Cited -- Index