The Realm of Lesser Evil: An Essay on Liberal Civilization - Couverture souple

Michea, Jean-Claude

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0745646212 ISBN 13 : 9780745646213

Editeur : Polity Press, 2009

Synopsis

Winston Churchill said of democracy that it was 'the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.' The same could be said of liberalism. While liberalism displays an unfailing optimism with regard to the capacity of human beings to make themselves 'masters and possessors of nature', it displays a profound pessimism when it comes to appreciating their moral capacity to build a decent world for themselves.

As Michea shows, the roots of this pessimism lie in the idea - an eminently modern one - that the desire to establish the reign of the Good lies at the origin of all the ills besetting the human race. Liberalism's critique of the 'tyranny of the Good' naturally had its costs. It created a view of modern politics as a purely negative art - that of defining the least bad society possible. It is in this sense that liberalism has to be understood, and understands itself, as the 'politics of lesser evil'.

By unravelling the logic that lies at the heart of the liberal project, Michea is able to shed fresh light on one of the key ideas that have shaped the civilization of the West.

A propos du livre

À propos de l?auteur

Jean-Claude Michéa is Professor of Philosophy at Lycée Joffre in Montpellier.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Polity Press
• Date d'édition: 2009
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0745646212
• ISBN 13: 9780745646213
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 208
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible