The Politics of Persons: Individual Autonomy and Socio-historical Selves

Description

It is both an ideal and an assumption of traditional conceptions of justice for liberal democracies that citizens are autonomous, self-governing persons. Yet standard accounts of the self and of self-government at work in such theories are hotly disputed and often roundly criticized in most of their guises. John Christman offers a sustained critical analysis of both the idea of the 'self' and of autonomy as these ideas function in political theory, offering interpretations of these ideas which avoid such disputes and withstand such criticisms. Christman's model of individual autonomy takes into account the socially constructed nature of persons and their complex cultural and social identities, and he shows how this model can provide a foundation for principles of justice for complex democracies marked by radical difference among citizens. His book will interest a wide range of readers in philosophy, politics, and the social sciences.

John Christman is Associate Professor of Philosophy, Political Science and Women's Studies at Pennsylvania State University. His previous publications include Social and Political Philosophy: A Contemporary Introduction (2002), The Myth of Property (1994), and as co-editor Debates in Political Philosophy (2009) with Thomas Christiano and Autonomy and the Challenges to Liberalism: New Essays (2005) with Joel Anderson.

Review of the hardback: 'The Politics of Persons is a rich and provocative work that makes a significant contribution both to autonomy theory and to political philosophy. Lively and erudite, it is a landmark work that is the most comprehensive treatment to date of how these two fields can, and should, interrelate. It should thus be read by all interested in either political philosophy or autonomy theory, and is absolutely essential reading for anyone interested in both.' James Stacey Taylor, The College of New Jersey Review of the hardback: 'John Christman's work is at the forefront of contemporary debates about the social and political dimensions of individual autonomy. In The Politics of Persons he extends his influential historical analysis of individual autonomy in two important ways: first, by grounding this analysis in a social and historical model of the political self; and second by defending an autonomy-based conception of justice and democracy. The Politics of Persons is an ambitious and significant contribution to the theory of autonomy.' Catriona Mackenzie, Macquarie University