(DOWNLOAD) "Erik J. Olsen, Civic Republicanism and the Properties of Democracy: A Case Study of Post-Socialist Political Theory (Critical Essay)" by Social Theory and Practice * eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Erik J. Olsen, Civic Republicanism and the Properties of Democracy: A Case Study of Post-Socialist Political Theory (Critical Essay)
- Author : Social Theory and Practice
- Release Date : January 01, 2008
- Genre: Religion & Spirituality,Books,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 210 KB
Description
Erik J. Olsen, Civic Republicanism and the Properties of Democracy: A Case Study of Post-Socialist Political Theory (Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2006), x + 325 pp. The jumping-off point in Erik J. Olsen's engaging book is the thought that within theoretical discussions of democracy, civic virtue has moved from the periphery to the center just as property has gone in the opposite direction (1). Olsen attributes this shift in large part to two different, but yet related, developments within contemporary political philosophy. The first is the development of a post-socialist political theory in the wake of the failure of socialism as a serious political option. As Gerald Gaus has pointed out, as comprehensive centralized economic planning has waned, markets based, at least in part, on private property have been embraced by virtually every modern political system today. (1) The second development, and the one that concerns Olsen the most, is the rise of civic republicanism as the main rival to modern materialism and its liberal supporters. In particular, what concerns Olsen is that the popularity and staying power of the so-called "republican revival" in political theory means that it is the most prevalent, and perhaps the most powerful, example of post-socialist political thought. What bothers Olsen, and is the main focus of the book, is that while civic republicans can more or less safely make these types of claims, in their articulation of a public philosophy to rival liberalism, they have somehow forgotten to focus on property issues. In exploring this omission, Olsen seeks to critique (mostly sympathetically) civic republicanism and put forward his own correction in the form of what he calls a "democratic theory of property."
 "Erik J. Olsen, Civic Republicanism and the Properties of Democracy: A Case Study of Post-Socialist Political Theory (Critical Essay)" by Social Theory and Practice * eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free){kind=link}