Author: Ian Shapiro

Publisher: Kitabıstan

In his innovative and engaging book, Prof Ian Shapiro delves into the perennial political dilemma. He evaluates the main controversial interpretations of the sources of political legitimacy by, at the same time, supplementing and developing the popular courses he teaches at Yale University. The author analyzes the arguments of Enlightenment theorists to utilitarians, Marxists, and social contract theorists. He then reviews the anti-Enlightenment tradition, from Edmund Burke to the modern postmodernists.

Subsequently, Prof. Shapiro examines the proponents and critics of democracy from the time of Plato till now. Finally, he concludes the book by assessing the strengths and weaknesses of democracy as a source of political legitimacy.