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Read for my history class this past semester. A dense read and a bit dated but introduces a very interesting and important philosophical understanding of the public and what civic responsibility is.
Interesting examination of the erosion of (small 'r') republican values and exploration of how the virtue of civic participation might be restored. Lends an interesting alternative perspective to contemporary (and historical) political discourse.
an interesting and difficult book to read
It was hard to not doubt most of what Sandel said, but it may have something to do with living in a liberal democracy most of my life.
Talks alot about how America's government was formed, and how we've lost track of the idea of a democratic republic.
Great book on public policy, and why the procedural republic is a non-starter.
None
The reason I rated this so low is because of the politics are 'opinionated'. The author did clear some things up, yes, but it was based on only one's perspective
Michael Sandel's Democracy's Discontent is a miss for me because I think he misunderstands what liberalism is in its classical philosophical sense. Classical Liberalism presumes the most limited form of government possible on the grounds that we ought to be suspicious of any person or institution claiming to possess political power. Sandel writes that liberalism is about being neutral toward conceptions of the good life but I think this is just a misunderstanding of what liberalism is. Sandel be...
This is one of Sandel's not for popular consumption works, but is definitely more accessible than his critiques of the work of Rawls, and a good exhibition of his thought.
Sandel's book, published over twenty years ago, is remarkably relevant to contemporary political debates. The bulk of the book charts the eclipse of civic republicanism in American constitutional law and political debates. Civic republicanism is contrasted with procedural liberalism, most famously articulated by Rawls. Where procedural liberalism conceptualizes the self as independent of its social relationships, civic republicanism highlights the embedded self, where identity is intrinsically c...
依我看来,桑德尔在此书中所提出的共和主义的公共哲学,与其说是一项旨在取代康德式的程序自由主义的雄心勃勃的计划,不如说是对一种日趋式微且处于康德式自由主义话语之外的传统的重申。他批评程序自由主义放弃了对道德和价值的追问,导致了一种苍白贫乏的公民生活,因此缺乏一种维持我们自治所必需的公共精神和公民资源——这是“自治的丧失”;在这个资本主义的全球化趋势正日益形成一个无比庞大的经济体系的时代中,程序自由主义描绘出一种“无负荷的自我”形象,切断了人与人之间认同和归属的纽带,加剧了我们在面对这些巨大的非人格力量时的无力感——这是“共同体的侵蚀”。重申共和主义的传统即出于在以上两方面对程序自由主义的反思。在这些犀利透彻的批评之外,桑德尔并没有在正文里对共和主义的公共哲学作出全面而具体的构建。这或许基于以下两种原因:首先,在当代世界中,庞大的经济规模、复杂的社会构成和飞速变迁的生活节奏使得共和主义所必需的共同体塑造变得极其困难,能否获得成功以及如何获得成功都尚无定论。其次,共和主义政治是“一种没有担保书的政治”,在实践过程中很难消除那些潜在却巨大的现实风险,正是这一点让绝大多数自由主义者望而却步。康德...
He makes an interesting, albeit not entirely convincing, case for a revival of American communitarianism. His point about the political frustration, disempowerment, and alienation springing from morally neutral, voluntarist liberalism is well taken. I am also attracted to his vision of citizenship which demands a responsibility for active self-government and an obligation to the common good. As he argues in the book, this blueprint of community organizing has been effective historically for brin...
You talk about a very sensitive topic in a good way
This book is still relevant to American politics 20 years after its publication. Maybe we should have listened to him.
A great thesis, precisely articulated: (1) there have been two strands in American public philosophy, one from the Founding to the 20th century, and one ascendent today: Civic Republicanism, which argues that the government should take an interest in forming us into citizens for self-government; and Liberalism, which argues the government should be neutral about how we end up, only there to maximize voluntary choice; and (2) the case that a nation neutral about ends will eventually corrode and b...
A compelling critique of what he dubs "procedural liberalism," I find myself attracted to Sandel's intent but repelled by some of the consequences of his philosophy. I for one am not quite ready to abandon the importance of individual liberty and to give a privileged position for religious appeals in politics.