The Democratic Horizon
Hyperpluralism and the Renewal of Political Liberalism
Published on 24. March 2014
Book
Hardback
254 pages
978-1-107-03551-5 (ISBN)
Description
Alessandro Ferrara explains what he terms 'the democratic horizon' - the idea that democracy is no longer simply one form of government among others, but is instead almost universally regarded as the only legitimate form of government, the horizon to which most of us look. Professor Ferrara reviews the challenges under which democracies must operate, focusing on hyperpluralism, and impresses a new twist onto the framework of political liberalism. He shows that distinguishing real democracies from imitations can be difficult, responding to this predicament by enriching readers' understanding of the spirit of democracy; clearing readers' views of pluralism from residues of ethnocentrism; and conceiving multiple versions of democratic culture, rooted in the diversity of civilizational contexts.
Reviews / Votes
'A major contribution to contemporary political philosophy, which analyzes the pitfalls and promises of liberal democracies by emphasizing the spirit of democracy and imaginative openness. Alessandro Ferrara develops a set of innovative categories such as hyperpluralism, conjectural strategies, and the multivariate democratic polity to offer solutions to present quandaries.' Seyla Benhabib, Eugene Meyer Professor of Political Science and Philosophy, Yale University 'In this brilliant and wide-ranging work, Alessandro Ferrara demonstrates the capacity of some of the core ideas of political liberalism to deepen and renew the ethos and imaginative horizons of modern democracy in what appear to be inhospitable times.' Charles Larmore, W. Duncan MacMillan Family Professor in the Humanities, Brown University 'Alessandro Ferrara forcefully confronts twenty-first-century realities that pose very real challenges to the future of democracy and responds with fresh proposals that emerged from engaged dialogue with a remarkably broad range of political philosophers, legal theorists, and political scientists. This is a breakthrough book.' Bruce Ackerman, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science, Yale UniversityMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
524 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-107-03551-5 (9781107035515)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
10/2015
Cambridge University Press
€48.90
Shipment within 15-20 days
E-Book
03/2014
Cambridge University Press
€20.99
Available for download
E-Book
02/2014
1st Edition
Cambridge University Press
€23.49
Available for download
Person
Alessandro Ferrara is Professor of Political Philosophy in the Department of History, Culture and Society at the University of Rome 'Tor Vergata'. He is the author of four books, including The Force of the Example: Explorations in the Paradigm of Judgment (2008).
Content
Introduction; 1. Reasons that move the imagination: politics at its best; 2. Democracy and openness; 3. Reflexive pluralism and the conjectural turn; 4. Hyperpluralism and the multivariate democratic polity; 5. Cuius religio, eius res publica: on multiple democracies; 6. Multiculturalism: negation or completion of liberalism?; 7. Beyond the nation: governance and deliberative democracy; 8. Truth, justification and political liberalism; Conclusion.