Political Philosophy by Jason Brennan

Political Philosophy by Jason Brennan

Most political debate is superficial. Just turn on cable news. Philosophy is for people who want to understand the deep questions. The goal of political philosophy is to determine the standards by which we judge different institutions good or bad, just or unjust. Some people might think they don't have much need of political philosophy: Who cares about wishy-washy obtuse notions of justice? I'm a pragmatist. I just want to know what works. But this isn't a way of avoiding political philosophy; it's a way of being dogmatic about it. Before we can just do what works, we have to know what counts as working. This book serves as an introduction to some of the major theories of justice, to the arguments philosophers have made for and against these theories, and, ultimately, to how to be more thoughtful and rigorous in your own thinking.

Robert J. Brennan is the Robert J. Brennan is the Robert J. Brennan is the Robert J is the Elizabeth Flanagan Family Associate Professor of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Affairs at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Management. He is the author of Why Not Capitalism? (Princeton), The Ethics of Voting (Princeton), and The Ethics of Voting (Princeton). Markets Without Limits, Compulsory Voting, and A Short History of Liberty are all coauthored by him. He contributes to the blog Bleeding Heart Libertarians on a regular basis.