Liberals and cannibals : the implications of diversity / Steven Lukes.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lukes, Steven, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Liberalism.

Physical Description:

x, 180 pages ; 21 cm

Edition:

Paperback edition.

Place of Publication:

London ; Brooklyn, NY : Verso, 2017.

Summary:

Can the tension between relativism and the moral universalism current in contemporary politics be resolved within the framework of liberalism? How is liberal society to interpret the diversity of morals? Is pluralism the appropriate response? How does pluralism differ from the widely condemned ethnocentric relativism - 'liberalism for the Liberals, cannibalism for the cannibals'? Confronting liberal thought with its own limitations, Steven Lukes' work is more relevant than ever. While recognizing the dangers of moral imperialism, Lukes argues that a relativist position based on identifying clearly distinct cultural and moral communities is incoherent. Drawing on work in anthropology and philosophy, he examines the nature of social justice, the politics of identity and human rights theory. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Moral Diversity and Relativism 1

2 Is Universalism Ethnocentric? 10

3 Liberalism for the Liberals, Cannibalism for the Cannibals 27

4 Different Cultures, Different Rationalities? 46

5 On Comparing the Incomparable: Trade-offs and Sacrifices 63

6 The Singular and the Plural 78

7 Must Pluralists be Relativists? 100

8 An Unfashionable Fox 107

9 Social Justice: The Hayekian Challenge 117

10 Humiliation and the Politics of Identity 132

11 The Communitarian Voice 145

12 Five Fables About Human Rights 154

13 The Last Word on the Third Way 171.

ISBN:

1784786470

9781784786472

OCLC:

974469986