Overview

Full Product Details

9780197583791

Table of Contents

Reviews

Does justice require a robust experience of solidarity? If so, can liberalism alone supply what is needed? Or must liberal rationality draw upon the resources of religious tradition that may or may not be available in a secular culture? It's hard to imagine questions more essential for political philosophy. Charles Lesch, with his capacious reading, deeply thoughtful reflectiveness, and gift for elegant writing, is wonderfully well-equipped to pose these questions and help us answer them. * Ronald Beiner, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Toronto, and author of Civil Religion: A Dialogue in the History of Political Philosophy * A landmark book. Following Charles Lesch's well guided footsteps from Carl Schmitt, back to Rousseau and Kant and on to Habermas, Buber and Levinas, and with deep attention to George Eliot's prophetic and profound Daniel Deronda, serious readers will see decisively what is and will remain central in human and humane social and political thinking. * Lenn E. Goodman, author of On Justice and Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself * In this path-breaking book, Lesch advances the counter-intuitive claim that Jewish thinkers such as Levinas and Buber illuminate the path to solidarity in a secular age. Why do we need solidarity? Liberal theories of justice can tell citizens what to do, but often fall short when it comes to motivating them to discharge their duties. Lesch's erudite study focuses attention on the not-fully rational elements of our psychology and how they can foster justice-enhancing forms of social cohesion. This is the book on solidarity that political theorists have been waiting for. * Margaret Kohn, author of The Death and Life of the Urban Commonwealth * Does solidarity depend on religion? Even in their convincing rejection of disastrous forms of political togetherness, liberals might have to embrace their own version of its religious foundations, Charles Lesch shows in this intrepid and remarkable book. Demonstrating the persistence of religion in secular thought, and the secular relevance of religious thought, Lesch's fine study achieves calm urgency as liberals face another era of turbulence. * Samuel Moyn, Professor of History, Yale University * In his impressive first major work, Charles Lesch argues for a version of liberal solidarity that draws lessons from religious life without the metaphysical and religious commitments central to most religious communities. While Lesch's account offers new ways to think about issues of concern to political theorists and philosophers, it should inspire anyone who is concerned with the fragmentation of contemporary society that increasingly reduces all to friend or foe. A welcome and important addition not just to the academic literature, but to urgent, pressing issues currently threatening to undermine liberal democratic societies. * Andrew Rehfeld, President and Professor of Political Thought, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion *

Author Information

Charles H. T. Lesch is Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research grapples with questions in contemporary political theory and practice by drawing from the history of European political thought, modern and classical Jewish thought, religious studies, social theory, and literature. His work has appeared in the American Political Science Review, The Journal of Politics, Perspectives on Politics, Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, and The Oxford Handbook of Civil Society. He has won awards including Harvard's Bowdoin Prize and Vanderbilt's Robert Birkby Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and has been a Golda Meir Fellow, Mellon/ACLS Fellow, Harvard Presidential Scholar, Fulbright Fellow, and Edmond J. Safra Graduate Fellow in Ethics.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available