Civic Virtues: Rights, Citizenship, and Republican Liberalism (Oxford Political Theory) - Softcover

Dagger, Richard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195106342 ISBN 13: 9780195106343

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1997

Synopsis

"The book is beautifully written, elegantly organised and it achieves with splendid efficiency all of the goals that it sets for itself. I recommend it warmly."--Mind
"Dagger's book makes a very important contribution to our understanding of citizenship through its clear demonstration that state promotion of civic virtue is compatible with individual autonomy."--Political Studies

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Although few want to deny the importance of individual rights, many political theorists have recently complained that their importance has been greatly over-emphasized. The result, as they see it, is an excessive individualism that blinds people to the needs of the community or state to which they belong. We should be less concerned with our rights, in their view, and more concerned with our responsibilities. Those who advanced this view typically argue against liberalism. In Civic Virtues, a compelling addition to the distinguished Oxford Political Theory series, Richard Dagger takes a different approach. Finding the proper relationship between rights and responsibilities requires us not to choose between liberalism and republicanism, he argues, but to unite them in a republican form of liberalism. Is such a marriage of republicanism and liberalism possible? Is it desirable? Dagger demonstrates how republican liberalism proceeds from a fundamental right of autonomy, to the recognition of interdependence and reciprocity, and on to the cultivation of the civic virtues of the public-spirited citizen. Indeed, republican liberalism promises not only to reconcile individual rights and civic duties, but to enhance political deliberation and the sense of community as well. Timely, vigorous, and accessibly written, Civic Virtues will be crucial interest to students of political philosophy and to all who hope to revive civic life.

About the Author:

Richard Dagger is at Arizona State University.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0195106342
• ISBN 13: 9780195106343
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272