Public Goods, Private Goods (Princeton Monographs in Philosophy)
Edition: New Ed edition
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: October 6, 2003
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 184
ISBN-13: 9780691117201
Subjects: Political science & theory; Philosophy; General; Classics; Philosophy / Ethics & Moral Philosophy; Political Philosophy; Ethics & Moral Philosophy
First sentence: IN 1814 ONE OF THE founding figures of European liberalism, Benjamin Constant, published what was to become his most influential book on politics, De l'esprit de conquete et de l'usurpation.
Description: "Much political thinking today, particularly that influenced by liberalism, assumes a clear distinction between the public and the private, and holds that the correct understanding of this distinction should weigh heavily in our attitude to human goods. Raymond Geuss exposes the profound flaws of such thinking and calls for a more nuanced approach. Drawing on a series of colorful examples from the ancient world, he illustrates some of the many ways in which actions can in fact be understood as public or private."--Jacket.