Philip Pettit

Pettit presents a republican alternative to the liberal and communitarian theories that have dominated political philosophy in recent years, and looks at the implications of this theory for the relation between state and civil society.

The authors of this book attack currently favoured retributivist theories of punishment, arguing that the criminal justice system is so integrated that sentencing policy has to be considered in the system-wide context. They offer a comprehensive theory of criminal justice which draws on a philosophically nuanced view of the good and the right, and which points the way to practical intervention in the real world of incremental reform. They put the case for a criminal justice system which maximizes freedom in the old republican sense of that term, and which they call "dominion". John Braithwaite's previous book was "Crime, Shame and Reintegration" and Philip Pettit has previously written "Judging Justice: An Introduction to Contemporary Political Philosophy", "The Good Polity" and has edited "Subject, Thought and Context".

Philip Pettit offers a new insight into moral psychology. He shows that attachments such as love, and certain virtues such as honesty, require their characteristic behaviours not only as things actually are, but also in cases where things are different from how they actually are. He explores the implications of this idea for key moral issues.

viii, 212 p. ; 24 cm

"This new edition of Will Kymlicka's best selling critical introduction to contemporary political theory has been fully revised to include many of the most significant developments in Anglo-American political philosophy in the last 11 years, particularly the new debates on political liberalism, deliberative democracy, civic republicanism, nationalism, and cultural pluralism." "The book now includes two new chapters on citizenship theory and multiculturalism, in addition to updated chapters on utilitarianism, liberal egalitarianism, libertarianism, Marxism, communitarianism, and feminism. Extended guides to further reading have been added at the end of each chapter, listing the most important books and articles on each school of thought, as well as relevant journals and web sites."--BOOK JACKET.