Morality and Politics: Volume 21, Part 1

Download or read book Morality and Politics: Volume 21, Part 1 written by Ellen Frankel Paul and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2004-02-09 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Divisions abound as to whether politics should be held responsible to a higher moral standard or whether pragmatic considerations, or realpolitik, should prevail. The two poles are represented most conspicuously by Aristotle (for whom the proper aim of politics is moral virtue) and Machiavelli (whose prince exalted political pragmatism over morality). The fourteen contributions to this volume address perennial concerns in political and moral theory. They underscore the rekindled yearning of many to hold the political realm to a higher standard despite the skepticism of dissenters who question the likelihood, or even the desirability, of success.