The cunning of unreason

Basic Books

2000

xii, 401 p.

Includes bibliographical references and index

9780465017478

pt. 1. Starting out -- The state -- Political understanding -- pt. 2. Understanding the constraints on state power: the case of Britain since 1979 -- The centrality of judgment -- The modern representative democratic republic -- Crisis, routine and political intelligibility -- Explaining the failings of the modern republic: Platonism versus sociology -- pt. 3. Starting again -- Doing better: fantasy and judgment

"Starting from the premise that the professional study of politics can offer us a way to understand why we have so little faith in the political process, The Cunning of Unreason explores competing definitions of politics, probing the hidden assumptions and implications of each. In energetic and engaging prose, Cambridge political theorist John Dunn makes a convincing case for the ongoing relevance of great political thinkers from Aristotle to Marx. Along the way, he bridges the academic world of political theory and contemporary debates about democracy, corruption, globalization and the recent trend toward conservatism." "A must read for every politician, spin doctor and professional pundit, The Cunning of Unreason offers a greater understanding of the way politics works in contemporary society and what it promises for the future."

Английский