1st Edition

Political Obligation A Critical Introduction

By Dudley Knowles Copyright 2010
    232 Pages
    by Routledge

    232 Pages
    by Routledge

    Political obligation is concerned with the clash between the individual’s claim to self-governance and the right of the state to claim obedience. It is a central and ancient problem in political philosophy.

    In this authoritative introduction, Dudley Knowles frames the problem of obligation in terms of the duties citizens have to the state and each other. Drawing on a wide range of key works in political philosophy, from Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, David Hume and G. W. F. Hegel to John Rawls, A. John Simmons, Joseph Raz and Ronald Dworkin, Political Obligation: A Critical Introduction is an ideal starting point for those coming to the topic for the first time, as well as being an original and distinctive contribution to the literature.

    Knowles distinguishes the philosophical problem of obligation - which types of argument may successfully ground the legitimacy of the state and the duties of citizens - from the political problem of obligation - whether successful arguments apply to the actual citizens of particular states.

    Against the anarchist and modern skeptics, Knowles claims that a plurality of arguments promise success when carefully formulated and defended, and discusses in turn ancient and modern theories of social contract and consent, fairness and gratitude, utilitarianism, justice and a Samaritan duty of care for others. Against modern communitarians, he defends a distinctive liberalism: ‘the state proposes, the citizen disposes’.

    Preface, PART I The authority of the state and the duties of citizens: the conceptual apparatus, PART II The arguments: ancient and modern, for and against, Notes, Bibliography, Index

    Biography

    Dudley Knowles is Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Glasgow. He is the author of Political Philosophy and Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, also published by Routledge, as well as many articles.

    'In this book, Dudley Knowles develops a novel approach to the problem of political obligation and,according to this approach, critically evaluates several leading theories. Ultimately, Knowles offers a well-written, critical introduction to the problem of political obligation, suitable for readers unfamiliar with the topic, and yet relevant for those with more familiarity ... If nothing else, Knowles’s distinction between the philosophical and political problems, perhaps his most unique contribution to the literature, should give pause to anyone attempting to argue for or against any particular theory of political obligation.'Ryan Gabriel Windeknecht, Keele University, UK, In-Spire, Journal of Law, Politics and Societies, Winter Issue 2009