The Conquest of Politics: Liberal Philosophy in Democratic Times

233 Pages·1989·12.17 MB·English

by  Benjamin Barber

THE CONQUEST OF POLITICS
BOOKS BY BENJAMIN R. BARBER
Strong Democracy, 1984
The Artist and Political Vision, edited with
M. McGrath, 1982
Marriage Voices (a novel), 1981
Liberating Feminism, 1975
The Death of Communal Liberty, 1974
Superman and Common Men, 1971
Totalitarianism in Perspective, with
C. J. Friedrich and M. Curtis,
1969
Benjamin Barber
The Conquest
of Politics
Liberal Philosophy in
Democratic Times
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
Copyright © 1988 by Princeton University Press
Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street,
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press,
Guildford, Surrey
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data will be
found on the last printed page of this book
ISBN 0-691-02323-9
Publication of this book has been aided by the
Whitney Darrow Fund of Princeton University Press
This book has been composed in Linotron Times Roman
Clothbound editions of Princeton University Press books
are printed on acid-free paper, and binding materials are
chosen for strength and durability. Paperbacks, although
satisfactory for personal collections, are not usually
suitable for library rebinding
Printed in the United States of America by
Princeton University Press
To the memory^ of
Louis HARTZ
As soon as philosophy begins to believe in itself
it always creates the world in its own image; it
cannot do otherwise. Philosophy is this tyrannical
drive itself.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
ONE The Conquest of Politics: Philosophy Against
Practice 3
Two Solipsistic Politics: Bertrand Russell and
Empiricist Liberalism 22
THREE Justifying Justice: John Rawls and Thin Theory 54
FOUR Deconstituting Politics: Robert Nozick and
Philosophical Reductionism 91
FIVE Unconstrained Conversations: A Play on Words
and Bruce Ackerman 120
Six Conserving Politics: Michael Oakeshott and the
Conversation of Political Theory 152
SEVEN Abdicating Modernity: Alasdair Maclntyre and
the Revolt Against Liberalism 177
EIGHT Political Judgment: Philosophy as Practice 193
Index 213

Acknowledgments
EARLIER versions of chapters in this book appeared as articles in
journals as indicated below. New material has been added to most,
and all have been revised to some extent.
Chapter Two: "Solipsistic Politics: Russell's Empiricist Liberal-
ism," Political Studies 223 (March 1973).
Chapter Three: "Justifying Justice: Problems of Psychology, Pol-
itics and Measurement in Rawls," American Political Sci-
ence Review 69 (June 1976).
Chapter Four: "Deconstituting Politics: Robert Nozick and Phil-
osophical Reductionism," Journal of Politics 39 (February
1977).
Chapter Five: "Unconstrained Conversations: A Play on Words,
Neutral and Otherwise," Ethics 93 (January 1983).
Chapter Six: "Conserving Politics: The Political Theory of Mi-
chael Oakeshott," Government and Opposition 2 (Autumn
1976).
Chapter Seven: "The World We Have Lost," The New Republic,
September 13, 1982.
Chapter Eight: "The Politics of Judgment," Raritan Review 5
(Fall 1985).
I would like to thank Sanford Thatcher and Gretchen Oberfranc
of Princeton University Press for their careful editorial assistance.
I am also grateful to the American Council of Learned Societies,
the Rutgers University Research Council, and the Guggenheim
Foundation for timely awards that permitted work to be done on
earlier versions of the manuscript.