Choice Reviews Online · 2009 · 491 citations · 0 references
Social SciencesPhilosophyPolitical SciencePolitical PhilosophyPolitical RightsPolitical TheoryHistory Of Political TheoryNormative Political TheoryPolitical EthicsPolitical RealismPolitical ThoughtActorsHistory Of Political PhilosophyIdeal Theory
Contemporary political thinkers often aim to craft ideal theories of rights or justice, yet politics is fundamentally a survival skill that enables people to pursue their goals. The book argues that philosophers should first seek to understand why real political actors behave as they do, by examining the powers, motives, and concepts that shape their actions in specific historical contexts. The authors outline a historically oriented, realistic political philosophy that critiques liberal theories based on abstract rights and justice, focusing on the powers, motives, and concepts that shape actors’ responses to problems. The book is a trenchant critique of established ways of thought and a provocative call for change.
Many contemporary political thinkers are gripped by the belief that their task is to develop an ideal theory of rights or justice for guiding and judging political actions. But in Philosophy and Real Politics, Raymond Geuss argues that philosophers should first try to understand why real political actors behave as they actually do. Far from being applied ethics, politics is a skill that allows people to survive and pursue their goals. To understand politics is to understand the powers, motives, and concepts that people have and that shape how they deal with the problems they face in their particular historical situations.Philosophy and Real Politics both outlines a historically oriented, realistic political philosophy and criticizes liberal political philosophies based on abstract conceptions of rights and justice. The book is a trenchant critique of established ways of thought and a provocative call for change.