Debating Democracy's Discontent: Essays on American Politics, Law, and Public Philosophy

Here, a distinguished cast of some the world's finest political and legal theorists offer criticisms of Michael Sandel's Democracy's Discontent, a recent, popular, and influential call for a more moralistic democracy. In this collection, Sandel's liberal and feminist critics square off with his communitarian and civic republican sympathizers in a lively and wide-ranging discussion that spans constitutional law, culture, and political economy. Such practical, topical issues as immigration, gay marriage, federalism, adoption, abortion, corporate speech, militias, and economic disparity are debated alongside theories of civic virtue, citizenship, identity, and community. Not only does Debating Democracy's Discontent afford the most comprehensive and insightful critique to date of Sandel's volume, it also makes a significant, substantive contribution to contemporary political and legal philosophy in its own right. This book will prove essential to all who are interested in the future of American politics, law, and public philosophy.