Political Reason Morality and the Public Sphere

In modern democratic societies, the plurality of differing and conflicting moral doctrines stands alongside a commitment to resolve political disputes through the use of moral reasoning. Given the fact of moral pluralism, how can there be moral resolutions to political disputes? What type of moral reasoning is appropriate in the public sphere? These questions are explored through a close and critical analysis of the work of Alasdair MacIntyre and Rawls. In this book it is argued that the anti-Enlightenment work of Alasdair MacIntyre, along with post-modernists, fails on epistemological, ethical, and political grounds, while in contrast, Rawls's 'core conception of reasonableness,' which is a type of political reasoning carried out 'in the manner of' the Enlightenment, is better placed to successfully respond to the moral disputes of contemporary politics. The practical application of these ideas is also explored in discussions of civic education and global distributive justice.

Dr Allyn Fives currently teaches on Political Theory and Research Ethics at the National University of Ireland in Galway. He holds PHD in Political Theory from the University of Edinburgh.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction – Political Reason After the Enlightenment
Reason and Tradition
Reason and Faith
Agonism
Reasonableness
Civic Education for Democracy
Global Distributive Justice
Conclusions
Bibliography
Index