The Moral Foundations of Politics

About this book

Shapiro discusses the different answers that have been proposed by the major political theorists in the utilitarian Marxist and social contract traditions over the past four centuries. Showing how these political philosophies have all been decisively shaped by the core values of the Enlightenment he demonstrates that each one contains useful insights that survive their failures as comprehensive doctrines and that should inform our thinking about political legitimacy. Shapiro then turns to the democratic tradition. Exploring the main arguments for and against democracy from Platos time until our own he argues that democracy offers the best resources for realizing the Enlightenments promise and managing its internal tensions. As such democracy supplies the most attractive available basis for political legitimacy.