Synopses & Reviews
The banner of deliberative democracy is attracting increasing numbers of supporters, in both the world's older and newer democracies. This effort to renew democratic politics is widely seen as a reaction to the dominance of liberal constitutionalism. But many questions surround this new project. What does deliberative democracy stand for? What difference would deliberative practices make in the real world of political conflict and public policy design? What is the relationship between deliberative politics and liberal constitutional arrangements?
The 1996 publication of Amy Gutmann and Dennis F. Thompsons Democracy and Disagreement was a signal contribution to the ongoing debate over the role of moral deliberation in democratic politics. In Deliberative Politics an all-star cast of political, legal, and moral commentators seek to criticize, extend, or provide alternatives to Gutmann and Thompson's hopeful model of democratic deliberation. The essays discuss the value and limits of moral deliberation in politics, and take up practical policy issues such as abortion, affirmative action, and health care reform. Among the impressive roster of contributors are Norman Daniels, Stanley Fish, William A. Galston, Jane Mansbridge, Cass R. Sunstein, Michael Walzer, and Iris Marion Young, and the editor of the volume, Stephen Macedo. The book concludes with a thoughtful response from Gutmann and Thompson to their esteemed critics.
This fine collection is essential reading for anyone who takes seriously the call for a more deliberative politics.
Synopsis
This volume of the Selected Works covers the four months from February through May of 1954. The speeches, letters and memoranda incorporated herein convey a sense of profound changes in the offing within Indian society.
About the Author
Stephen Macedo is Michael O. Sawyer Professor of Constitutional Law and Politics, Syracuse University.
Table of Contents
Introduction,
Stephen MacedoPart I: The Value of Deliberative Democracy
1. Talking as a Decision Procedure?, Frederick Schauer
2. Enough Deliberation: Politics is About Interests and Power, Ian Shapiro
3. Diversity, Toleration, and Deliberative Democracy: Religious Minorities and Public Schooling, William A. Galston
4. Three Limitations of Deliberative Democracy: Identity, Politics, Bad Faith, and Indeterminacy, William H. Simon
5. Deliberation, and What Else?, Michael Walzer
6. The Problem of Implementation and the East Asian Context, Daniel A. Bell
7. Mutual Respect as a Device of Exclusion, Stanley Fish
8. Deliberation: Method Not Theory, Russell Hardin
Part II: The Limits of Deliberative Democracy
9. Agreement without Theory, Cass R. Sunstein
10. Justice, Inclusion, and Deliberative Democracy, Iris Marion Young
11. Constitutionalsim and Deliberative Democracy, Jack Knight
12. Internal Disagreements: Deliberation and Abortion, Alan Wertheimer
13. Law, Democracy, and Moral Disagreement: Comparing Slavery and Abortion, Robert P. George
14. Enabling Deliberative Deliberation: How Managed Care Organizations Ought to Make Decisions about Coverage for New Technologies, Norman Daniels
15. The Deliberative System and Everyday Talk, Jane Mansbridge
Part III: Reply to Critics Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson