Description
Book SynopsisIn the development of both political philosophy and engagement in political activity, the Good holds a central role. Properly understood, politics is directed by the human need to discern and follow what is good in-itself, which is not necessarily defined by the predominant interest within any given community or culture. Essential good, or that which is good by nature, does not always align with our perceptions of the common good or with our immediate interests. Scott John Hammond sorts out the difference between essential Good and what we take to be good under the influence of the will as it pursues various interests and preferences. The Centrality of the Good: Reflections on Politics and Being follows Plato's understanding of the Good as the object and cause of all knowledge and the essence of all political activity. Much of the book is devoted to an examination of the relationship between the good and the right. In response to Rawls, it advances an understanding of the priority of
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 Chapter One. Structuring Principles Chapter 4 Chapter Two. On Right Chapter 5 Chapter Three. From Interest and Pleasure to the Good In-itself Chapter 6 Chapter Four. Good In-itself and the Rights of the Ensouled Person Chapter 7 Chapter Five. The Good and Friendship in the Community of Free Souls Chapter 8 Chapter Six. The Rehabilitation of Politics through the Recovery of Its Essence.
