Description
Book SynopsisArgues that we owe civic obligations to the state if it is sufficiently just, and that constitutionally enshrined principles of justice in themselves - rather than territory, common language, or shared culture - are grounds for obedience to our particular state and for democratic solidarity with our fellow citizens.
Trade Review"Are liberals left with either a repugnant cultural nationalism or a floating cosmopolitanism, or can they create a coherent liberal account that grounds citizens' loyalty to a particular state? Stilz forcefully argues that they can. After skillfully exposing problems with both cosmopolitan and nationalist liberalisms and effectively refuting liberal-leaning anarchists, Stilz turns to Kant, Rousseau, and Habermas for inspiration, arguing that liberals must conceptualize loyalty as a political duty to support institutions that promote liberal freedoms."--Choice "Stilz has articulated with great clarity and consistency an alternative to both consent-theories of political obligation and to their nationalist counterparts. That alternative will find many supporters, and deserves to be taken very seriously even by its critics."--Lea Ypi, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews "One of the values of Stilz's work is her attempt to reclaim particular terms and categories from contemporary political and philosophical discourse... The end of her work, the articulation of a rationally arrived-at duty of justice leading us to be loyal to democratic institutions and processes, is a worthwhile and ongoing project."--John Randolph LeBlanc, American Review of Politics "Anna Stilz's book [is] a thoughtful, compelling meditation on liberal citizenship."--Steven Johnston, Perspectives on Politics
Table of ContentsPreface vii PART ONE: Equal Freedom and the State Chapter 1: Introduction 3 Chapter 2: Authority 27 Chapter 3: Democracy 57 Chapter 4: Political Obligation and Justice 85 PART TWO: Solidarity and Allegiance Chapter 5: Freedom and Culture in Rousseau 113 Chapter 6: Nationalism or Patriotism? 137 Chapter 7: Democracy as Collective Action 173 Chapter 8: Conclusion 209 Bibliography 213 Index 221
