Description:
"A sweeping vision."--Ezra Klein, The New York Times - "An important book."--Peter Coy, The New York Times - "Liberals and non-liberals alike should applaud its arrival."--Max Foley-Keene, Commonweal - "A major work of political philosophy."--Gregory Laski, Public Books - "Compelling. . . . Superb."--Josiah Ober - "Without doubt one of the most important books ever written on democracy."--Margeret Levi
From leading thinker Danielle Allen, a bold and urgent articulation of a new political philosophy: power-sharing liberalism.
At a time of great social and political turmoil, when many residents of the leading democracies question the ability of their governments to deal fairly and competently with serious public issues, and when power seems more and more to rest with the wealthy few, this book reconsiders the very foundations of democracy and justice. Scholar and writer Danielle Allen argues that the surest path to a just society in which all are given the support necessary to flourish is the protection of political equality; that justice is best achieved by means of democracy; and that the social ideals and organizational design principles that flow from recognizing political equality and democracy as fundamental to human well-being provide an alternative framework not only for justice but also for political economy. Allen identifies this paradigm-changing new framework as "power-sharing liberalism." Liberalism more broadly is the philosophical commitment to a government grounded in rights that both protect people in their private lives and empower them to help govern public life. Power-sharing liberalism offers an innovative reconstruction of liberalism based on the principle of full inclusion and non-domination--in which no group has a monopoly on power--in politics, economy, and society. By showing how we all might fully share power and responsibility across all three sectors, Allen advances a culture of civic engagement and empowerment, revealing the universal benefits of an effective government in which all participate on equal terms.Brief description: Danielle Allen is the James Bryant Conant University Professor and director of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. She was a recipient of a MacArthur fellowship in 2001 and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009. In 2020, she won the Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity, administered by the Library of Congress, that recognizes work in disciplines not covered by the Nobel Prizes. Her many books include the widely acclaimed Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality and Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A.
Review Quotes: "An important book. . . . Allen's big idea is that justice can't be achieved simply by taking from the rich and giving to the poor, and liberty isn't just about being left alone to do your own thing. People care about more than money, and we are social creatures. We flourish when we participate as equals in the public sphere. 'Justice is therefore best, and perhaps only, achieved by means of democracy, ' she wrote in the opening pages."--Peter Coy "New York Times"