Many thoughtful and intelligent people believe that they have no rationally defensible basis for making moral judgments--that their values are arbitrary personal tastes, a matter of purely personal subjectivity. James Fishkin offers a philosophical response to this cynical attitude toward morality and shows that an alternative is possible. His book confronts basic questions across a variety of disciplines--moral psychology, moral philosophy, and liberal political theory.

Beyond Subjective Morality: Ethical Reasoning and Political Philosophy

Fishkin, Professor James S.

Yale University Press

This book is in great use condition.

The Limits of Obligation

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

People around the world are agitating for democracy and individual rights, but there is no consensus on a theory of liberal democracy that might guide them. What are the first principles of a just society? What political theory should shape public policy in such a society? In this book, James S. Fishkin offers a new basis for answering these questions by proposing the ideal of a "self-reflective society" - a political culture in which citizens are able to decide their own fate through unconstrained dialogue.Fishkin offers a comprehensive critique of liberal political theories that do not satisfy the requirements for a self-reflective society. He then explains his own theory of liberalism, showing that the freely self-examining society he advocates can provide the key to issues of political legitimacy and social justice. Fishkin proposes practical applications of his theory that would lead to more participatory democracy. Among these are deliberative opinion polls that would allow ordinary citizens to explore issues directly with candidates before elections, and vouchers that would allow them to organize representation for their interests. Fishkin examines a broad range of topics from the fresh perspective of a self-reflective society: utility and its limits, justice between generations, conflicting ideals of democracy, equal opportunity, the connections between theory and public policy, the notion of moral progress, and the bases for political obligation. His book makes a new contribution to central debates in moral, political, and legal philosophy.

The Dialogue of Justice: Toward a Self-Reflective Society

Proposes a new kind of democracy that would give citizens more power in nominating the president by incorporating a national caucus in which a representative sample of American citizens would explore and define issues with the candidates before voting

Democracy and Deliberation: New Directions for Democratic Reform

Literature & Fiction

Poetry

In this thoughtful and highly readable critique of contemporary politics and government in the United States, James Fishkin evaluates modern democratic practices, explains how the voice of the people has struggled to make itself heard in the past, and joins this with a review of ideas and experiments-including Fishkin`s idea for a National Issues Convention that was adapted by PBS in January 1996-to legitimately rediscover the people`s voice.

The Voice of the People: Public Opinion and Democracy

Politics & Government

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Fishkin, Professor James S.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Fishkin, Professor James S.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Fishkin, Professor James S.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Beyond Subjective Morality: Ethical Reasoning and Political Philosophy

The Limits of Obligation

Beyond Subjective Morality: Ethical Reasoning and Political Philosophy

The Dialogue of Justice: Toward a Self-Reflective Society

Democracy and Deliberation: New Directions for Democratic Reform

The Voice of the People: Public Opinion and Democracy