Utopophobia: On the Limits (If Any) of Political Philosophy

Description

A leading political theorist's groundbreaking defense of ideal conceptions of justice in political philosophy Throughout the history of political philosophy and politics, there has been continual debate about the roles of idealism versus realism. For contemporary political philosophy, this debate manifests in notions of ideal theory versus nonid

David Estlund is the Lombardo Professor of the Humanities in the Philosophy Department at Brown University. He is the author of Democratic Authority: A Philosophical Framework (Princeton) and the editor of The Oxford Handbook of Political Philosophy.

"The publication of Utopophobia is a major event . . . the book is written in a crystal clear and yet almost poetic style. . . . It provides the most careful and extensive defence of ideal theory to date."---Jacob Barrett, Mind "Utopophobia is a monumental achievement."---Zofia Stemplowska, Phil Studies "Masterful . . . fascinating and delightfully heretical."---Nic Southwood, Phil Studies "David Estlund is a leading political philosopher....he further cements himself as a crucial figure in ideal theory. ... This book stakes out clear territory for the value of ideal theory against the challenge brought by nonideal theorists. ...an impressive piece of philosophy."---Ryan Muldoon, Review of Politics