Ruling Passions

Political Offices and Democratic Ethics

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory
Cover of the book Ruling Passions by Andrew Sabl, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Andrew Sabl ISBN: 9781400825004
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: February 9, 2009
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Andrew Sabl
ISBN: 9781400825004
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: February 9, 2009
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

How should politicians act? When should they try to lead public opinion and when should they follow it? Should politicians see themselves as experts, whose opinions have greater authority than other people's, or as participants in a common dialogue with ordinary citizens? When do virtues like toleration and willingness to compromise deteriorate into moral weakness? In this innovative work, Andrew Sabl answers these questions by exploring what a democratic polity needs from its leaders. He concludes that there are systematic, principled reasons for the holders of divergent political offices or roles to act differently.

Sabl argues that the morally committed civil rights activist, the elected representative pursuing legislative results, and the grassroots organizer determined to empower ordinary citizens all have crucial democratic functions. But they are different functions, calling for different practices and different qualities of political character. To make this case, he draws on political theory, moral philosophy, leadership studies, and biographical examples ranging from Everett Dirksen to Ella Baker, Frances Willard to Stokely Carmichael, Martin Luther King Jr. to Joe McCarthy.

Ruling Passions asks democratic theorists to pay more attention to the "governing pluralism" that characterizes a diverse, complex democracy. It challenges moral philosophy to adapt its prescriptions to the real requirements of democratic life, to pay more attention to the virtues of political compromise and the varieties of human character. And it calls on all democratic citizens to appreciate "democratic constancy": the limited yet serious standard of ethical character to which imperfect democratic citizens may rightly hold their leaders--and themselves.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

How should politicians act? When should they try to lead public opinion and when should they follow it? Should politicians see themselves as experts, whose opinions have greater authority than other people's, or as participants in a common dialogue with ordinary citizens? When do virtues like toleration and willingness to compromise deteriorate into moral weakness? In this innovative work, Andrew Sabl answers these questions by exploring what a democratic polity needs from its leaders. He concludes that there are systematic, principled reasons for the holders of divergent political offices or roles to act differently.

Sabl argues that the morally committed civil rights activist, the elected representative pursuing legislative results, and the grassroots organizer determined to empower ordinary citizens all have crucial democratic functions. But they are different functions, calling for different practices and different qualities of political character. To make this case, he draws on political theory, moral philosophy, leadership studies, and biographical examples ranging from Everett Dirksen to Ella Baker, Frances Willard to Stokely Carmichael, Martin Luther King Jr. to Joe McCarthy.

Ruling Passions asks democratic theorists to pay more attention to the "governing pluralism" that characterizes a diverse, complex democracy. It challenges moral philosophy to adapt its prescriptions to the real requirements of democratic life, to pay more attention to the virtues of political compromise and the varieties of human character. And it calls on all democratic citizens to appreciate "democratic constancy": the limited yet serious standard of ethical character to which imperfect democratic citizens may rightly hold their leaders--and themselves.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book Mitzvah Girls by Andrew Sabl
Cover of the book Europe and the Islamic World by Andrew Sabl
Cover of the book Invisible in the Storm by Andrew Sabl
Cover of the book Seeds of Amazonian Plants by Andrew Sabl
Cover of the book Kierkegaard's Writings, XXV, Volume 25 by Andrew Sabl
Cover of the book Finance and the Good Society by Andrew Sabl
Cover of the book Bayesian Non- and Semi-parametric Methods and Applications by Andrew Sabl
Cover of the book A Confucian Constitutional Order by Andrew Sabl
Cover of the book Wizards, Aliens, and Starships by Andrew Sabl
Cover of the book Euripides and the Politics of Form by Andrew Sabl
Cover of the book Morning in America by Andrew Sabl
Cover of the book The Best Writing on Mathematics 2013 by Andrew Sabl
Cover of the book Financial Crises, Liquidity, and the International Monetary System by Andrew Sabl
Cover of the book Legal Accents, Legal Borrowing by Andrew Sabl
Cover of the book Ethics in an Age of Terror and Genocide by Andrew Sabl
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy