This book is meant to help resolve a couple of uncertainties. The theory of political equality set forth in part 1 is a philosophical interpretation of the egalitarian ideal, which aims to explain its content and to show why, so understood, it is worthy of our support. The examination of practical problems in part 2 illustrates how the theory might be applied in the criticism and reform of the institutions of democratic participation.
Reviews
" . . . Beitz believes it is possible to explain political equality in terms of a deeper moral perspective. He not only provides democrats with a line of argument against those who think egalitarian commitments are arbitrary; he also develops a sensible account of what democratic equality requires in the way of specific institutions. This is a real advance in the philosophy of democracy."-William Smith, University of Houston
