Political Philosophy: What It Is and Why It Matters

by Ronald Beiner

What is political philosophy? Ronald Beiner makes the case that it is centrally defined by supremely ambitious reflection on the ends of life. We pursue this reflection by exposing ourselves to, and participating in, a perennial dialogue among epic theorists who articulate grand visions of what constitutes the authentic good for human beings. Who are these epic theorists, and what are their strengths and weaknesses? Beiner selects a dozen leading candidates: Arendt, Oakeshott, Strauss, Lowith, Voegelin, Weil, Gadamer, Habermas, Foucault, MacIntyre, Rawls, and Rorty. In each case, he shows both why the political philosophies continue to be intellectually compelling and why they are problematic or can be challenged in various ways. In this sense, Political Philosophy attempts to draw up a balance sheet for political philosophy in the twentieth century, by identifying a canon of towering contributions and reviewing the extent to which they fulfill their intellectual aspirations."

Genres: Philosophy, Politics

304 pages, Hardcover

First published June 26, 2014

Reviews

[Rina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fundamentally disagree with Beiner's thesis/general definition of political philosophy (also his Aristotelian arrogance about political science) but I just love the way Beiner writes and thinks, he is very transparent about inserting his opinions and has very clearly stated normative, philosophical views that are a breath of fresh air for political theory/philosophy.

The title, obviously, is very misleading and poorly chosen by the way.

[♡ venus ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been very, very slowly working my way through this collection of essays for the past six months, and every second of it was a thought-provoking experience. From the fifty pages of prologue to each of the the engagingly written essays and the surprisingly short epilogue, this book was a constant delivery of intriguing idea after idea, both the frameworks being presented and the author's interpretations and criticisms of them. I can't say whether or not I agree with any of the author's views, because I'm a first year undergraduate student, I know literally nothing, I had to work to understand half the things said in this book anyways, and I haven't even taken a political philosophy course yet, but it was a wonderful introduction to the world of 20th century political philosophy and I'm very excited to delve deeper and continue exploring the ideas that were presented (very briefly) in this book.

The author's writing style was engaging, clear, and even humorous at times, which I appreciated greatly since political philosophy books are so often terse and dull. I've never had so many tabs and annotations in one book before. Each chapter gave me something new and interesting to think about, although I can't be sure how much of that is the theoretical framework being presented and how much of it is the author's interpretation and criticism of it. Either way, this book was so interesting and I'm glad I spent the time reading this book in its entirety. When I delve deeper into each of these theorists in the future, as I'm sure I will over the course of my undergraduate studies, I think I'll probably wind up returning to this book. I genuinely had fun reading this.

My only regret is that will now have to take out all of my tabs, erase my annotations, and hand this book back to my university library. :<

[Paul Maritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

While very subject specific, this book offers a lot for any one interested in the history of ideas. With a focus on the political philosophy of the 20th century, Beiner engages twelve key thinkers of that century. His prologues and epilogue offer guidance to his own conviction, and I found myself convinced by his slightly romantic case for "epic political philosohy". Some criticism might be directed at what I would like to call sweeping statements, but when dealing with a philosopher's "archetectonic" ideas in a single chapter, this is probably to be expected. I propose reading this as a guide next to the twelve books discussed, perhaps not simultaneously, but at least in conversation.

[Atlrs · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is political philosophy if it is not a quest for the ultimate human ends? I admire Beiner's confidence as well as prudence after travesal of these 20th century epic theorists from a normative perspective.

[Gulsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Polemical, but perhaps the best of Beiner's.