Political Obligation in a Liberal State

By Steven M. DeLue

Subjects: Political Theory
Series: SUNY series in Political Theory: Contemporary Issues
Paperback : 9780791400937, 179 pages, July 1989
Hardcover : 9780791400920, 179 pages, July 1989

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Table of contents

Introduction

1 Political Obligation in Liberal States

2 The Enlarged Culture and Obligation: The General Argument

3 The Motivation for an Enlarged Culture

4 A Question of Conscience

5 The Signs of an Enlarged Citizen-State Culture

6 A Critique of Participatory Theories

7 The Social Learning Process in a Liberal Regime

8 The Political Will of an Enlarged Culture

9 The Surrounding Conversation of Liberal Societies

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Index

Description

The tension between the individualist view and the communalist view dominates current debate about liberal politics. DeLue establishes a basis for political discourse in a liberal society—an enlarged discourse that allows people of both views to be critically reflective citizens with the necessary strong sense of obligation to the state. DeLue describes this enlarged culture and prescribes what the state must do to nurture it.

Steve M. DeLue is Professor and Chair of Political Science at Miami University, Ohio.

Reviews

"It is a concise well-written treatment of the issue of political obligation in a liberal society. It is not overburdened with extraneous material and cuts a straight path through the issues with a definite—albeit, from some perspectives, a contentious—argument. " — John G. Gunnel, State University of New York at Albany