Description
Book SynopsisStudents of politics frequently confuse politics with current events and the activities of political actors. Lost in this view is a deeper understanding of politics that emphasizes the need for governmental management of many facets of social life. It proceeds first by illustrating the need for civil organization in complex social settings and then by examining the way political culture informs the nature and degree of the political organization appropriate for a polity. Focusing specifically on U.S. political culture, the work explores American political inheritance in order to expose the enduring ideals and fundamental commitments of American political life. This permits a review of American liberalism with its characteristic emphasis upon individual freedom and basic human equality. The nature of constitutionalism and democracy are also explored in order to examine their fit with traditional American liberal ideals. But politics is also about change, and the work concludes with a di
Trade ReviewPolity is lucidly written in a style that is fluid and graceful, is packed with unusually striking examples from popular culture, and forces the attentive and thoughtful reader to re-examine widely held and accepted beliefs about the nature of politics and society. -- William M. Batkay, Montclair State University Montclair State University
This is a wonderful resource, written with wit and insight, and an ideal supplement to assign along with primary texts. It is a book that will reach students who do not know why they should care about Rawls or Hobbes but can follow an argument. -- Douglas Casson
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Politics and Power Chapter 2 Liberalism: Politics in the American Mold Chapter 3 Liberal Ideas Chapter 4 Social Justice Chapter 5 Liberal Institutions Chapter 6 The Bureaucratic Phenomenon Chapter 7 Requiem for Democracy Chapter 8 Politics and the Future
