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Loading... Democracy and Moral Conflict (edition 2009)by Robert B. Talisse
Work InformationDemocracy and Moral Conflict by Robert B. Talisse
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Why democracy? Most often this question is met with an appeal to some decidedly moral value, such as equality, liberty, dignity or even peace. But in contemporary democratic societies, there is deep disagreement and conflict about the precise nature and relative worth of these values. And when democracy votes, some of those who lose will see the prevailing outcome as not merely disappointing, but morally intolerable. How should citizens react when confronted with a democratic result that they regard as intolerable? Should they revolt, or instead pursue democratic means of social change? In this book, Robert Talisse argues that each of us has reasons to uphold democracy - even when it makes serious moral errors - and that these reasons are rooted in our most fundamental epistemic commitments. His original and compelling study will be of interest to a wide range of readers in political philosophy and political theory. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)321.8Social sciences Political Science Political Systems RepublicLC ClassificationRatingAverage: No ratings.Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |
A theory of "folk epistemology" is the main argumentative tool. In contrast to the third-person knowledge of standard epistemology, the author supposedly wants his readers to consider folk-epistemological theories from a first-person perspective. After reading the book I'm still not sure what that really amounts to, since his abstract statements about "proposition p" very much resemble standard objective epistemology rather than first-person analysis.
The simple idea that democracy is justified because it allows all viewpoints to be heard obviously speaks in favor of democracy. But this seems more like a practical justification than a philosophical one. I don't think the author's complicated and roundabout discussion of mutual recognition really is an interesting step toward justification. His grip on the question of legitimacy is slippery at best and his preoccupation with earlier literature seems to inhibit, rather than assist, the development of his own arguments.