Alternative Conceptions of Civil Society

Published by Princeton University Press 2002

Alternative Conceptions of Civil Society

Edited by: Simone Chambers and Will Kymlicka

Volume 1 in the series Ethikon Series in Comparative Ethics

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691220130

Overview
Contents

About this book

The idea of civil society has long been central to the Western liberal-democratic tradition, where it has been seen as a crucial site for the development and pursuit of basic liberal values such as individual freedom, social pluralism, and democratic citizenship. This book considers how a host of other ethical traditions define civil society. Unlike most studies of the subject, which focus on a particular region or tradition, it considers a range of ethical traditions rarely addressed in one volume: libertarianism, critical theory, feminism, liberal egalitarianism, natural law, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Confucianism. It considers the extent to which these traditions agree or disagree on how to define civil society's limits and how to evaluate its benefits and harms.

A variety of distinguished advocates and interpreters of these traditions present in-depth explorations of how these various traditions think of ethical pluralism within societies, asking how a society should respond to diversity among its members. Together they produce a work rich with original insights on a wide range of subjects about which little has been written to date.

An excellent starting point for a comparative ethics of civil society, this book concludes that while the concept of civil society originated in the liberal tradition, it is quickly becoming an important focus for a truly cross-cultural dialogue. In addition to the editors, the contributors are Michael Banner, Hasan Hanafi, Loren E. Lomasky, Richard Madsen, Michael A. Mosher, Michael Pakaluk, Anne Philips, Adam B. Seligman, Suzanne Last Stone, and Michael Walzer.

Author / Editor information

Simone Chambers is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is the author of Reasonable Democracy: Jürgen Habermas and the Politics of Discourse, which won the American Political Science Association's First Book Award in Political Theory. Will Kymlicka is Queen's National Scholar in the Department of Philosophy at Queen's University, Ontario. His books include Liberalism, Community, and Culture; Multicultural Citizenship, and Politics in the Vernacular.

Reviews

"Scholars concerned with these questions will benefit enormously from this highly recommended collection. It is unique among the many books on the topic of civil society and it deserves a wide, appreciative readership."---Jerome P. Baggett, Religious Studies Review

"Most of the essays are first-rate introductions to their respective traditions. The reader cannot fail to expand his or her horizons by reading this book, which is filled with fascinating examples about how different traditions grapple with issues of ethical pluralism."—Daniel Bell, City University of Hong Kong

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
INTRODUCTION Alternative Conceptions of Civil Society Simone Chambers and Will Kymlicka Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
PART I
CHAPTER 1 Civil Society as Idea and Ideal Adam B. Seligman Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	13
CHAPTER 2 Equality and Civil Society Michael Walzer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	34
CHAPTER 3 Classical Liberalism and Civil Society Loren E. Lomasky Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	50
PART II
CHAPTER 4 Does Feminism Need a Conception of Civil Society? Anne Phillips Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	71
CHAPTER 5 A Critical Theory of Civil Society Simone Chambers Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	90
PART III
CHAPTER 6 Christianity and Civil Society Michael Banner Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	113
CHAPTER 7 Natural Law and Civil Society Michael Pakaluk Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	131
PART IV
CHAPTER 8 The Jewish Tradition and Civil Society Suzanne Last Stone Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	151
CHAPTER 9 Alternative Conceptions of Civil Society A Reflective Islamic Approach Hasan Hanafi Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	171
CHAPTER 10 Confucian Conceptions of Civil Society Richard Madsen Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	190
PART V
CHAPTER 11 Conclusion Are Civil Societies the Transmission Belts of Ethical Tradition? Michael A. Mosher Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	207
Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	231
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	233