
The State
Philip Pettit(Author)
Princeton University Press
Published on 14. March 2023
Book
Hardback
376 pages
978-0-691-18220-9 (ISBN)
Description
A major new account of the state and its importance by a leading political philosopher
The future of our species depends on the state. Can states resist corporate capture, religious zealotry, and nationalist mania? Can they find a way to work together so that the earth heals and its peoples prosper? Or is the state just not up to the task? In this book, the prominent political philosopher Philip Pettit examines the nature of the state and its capacity to serve goals like peace and justice within and beyond its borders. In doing so, he breaks new ground by making the state the focus of political theory-with implications for economic, legal, and social theory-and presents a persuasive, historically informed image of an institution that lies at the center of our lives.
Offering an account that is more realist than utopian, Pettit starts from the function the polity is meant to serve, looks at how it can best discharge that function, and explores its ability to engage beneficially in the life of its citizens. This enables him to identify an ideal of statehood that is a precondition of justice. Only if states approximate this functional ideal will they be able to deal with the perennial problems of extreme poverty and bitter discord as well as the challenges that loom over the coming centuries, including climate change, population growth, and nuclear arms.
The future of our species depends on the state. Can states resist corporate capture, religious zealotry, and nationalist mania? Can they find a way to work together so that the earth heals and its peoples prosper? Or is the state just not up to the task? In this book, the prominent political philosopher Philip Pettit examines the nature of the state and its capacity to serve goals like peace and justice within and beyond its borders. In doing so, he breaks new ground by making the state the focus of political theory-with implications for economic, legal, and social theory-and presents a persuasive, historically informed image of an institution that lies at the center of our lives.
Offering an account that is more realist than utopian, Pettit starts from the function the polity is meant to serve, looks at how it can best discharge that function, and explores its ability to engage beneficially in the life of its citizens. This enables him to identify an ideal of statehood that is a precondition of justice. Only if states approximate this functional ideal will they be able to deal with the perennial problems of extreme poverty and bitter discord as well as the challenges that loom over the coming centuries, including climate change, population growth, and nuclear arms.
Reviews / Votes
"In its ambition and execution, The State resembles such canonical works of political philosophy as Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan (1651) or Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Du contrat social (1762) and will likely be counted among them in time."---Adam Coleman, The Irish Times "[I]mportant, timely, and original."---Donald Bello Hutt & Victoria Kristan, Res Publica "[T]hematically rich and thought-provoking. . . . The State will surely be a central and unavoidable text going forward for all theorists in politics and law grappling with any of the themes treated, filled as it is with fascinating insights, provocative theses, and powerful arguments."---Christopher F. Zurn, The Review of Politics "Necessary. . . . The State will be valuable for many generations of political philosophers to come."---Rebecca Buxton, MindMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
1 table.
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
726 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-18220-9 (9780691182209)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Philip Pettit
The State
E-Book
02/2023
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€24.49
Available for download
Person
Philip Pettit is L. S. Rockefeller University Professor of Human Values at Princeton University and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the Australian National University, Canberra. He is the author of Republicanism, On the People's Terms, Just Freedom, and other books.