Political Philosophy in the Twenty-First Century

This collection of over a dozen essays, sampled as readings from other sources, survey key issue areas in contemporary political philosophy. One of the editors, Talisse (philosophy, Vanderbilt U.), offers an introductory essay providing a background in John Rawl's importance for political theory and the issues debated in the essays. Those issues organize the essays of the book in terms of equality, justice, liberty, democracy and human rights. The selections themselves include criticisms and defense of equality, positive vs. negative liberty, authoritarianism and democracy, world poverty, social justice and flourishing of human capabilities. The contributors include luminaries like Martha Nussbaum and Amartya Sen, but also academic philosophers, political and otherwise social scientists from the Industrialized world. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Steven M. Cahn is professor of philosophy at the City University of New York Graduate Center. He is the author of ten books, including God, Reason, and Religion; From Student to Scholar: A Candid Guide to Becoming a Professor; and Saints and Scamps: Ethics in Academia (25th Anniversary Edition). He has edited or coedited some forty books, including Thinking about Logic: Classic Essays (Westview Press); Political Philosophy: The Essential Texts; Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy; The Affirmative Action Debate; and Classic and Contemporary Readings in the Philosophy of Education.