Politics and Morality by Susan Mendus

by Susan Mendus

Public disenchantment with politics has become a key feature of the world in which we live. Politicians are increasingly viewed with suspicion and distrust, and electoral turnout in many modern democracies continues to fall. But are we right to display such contempt towards our elected representatives? Can politicians be morally good or is politics destined to involve dirty hands or the loss of integrity, as many modern philosophers claim? In this book, Susan Mendus seeks to address these important questions to assess whether this apparent tension between morality and politics is real and, if so, why. Beginning with an account of integrity as involving a willingness to stand by ones most fundamental moral commitments, the author discusses three reasons for thinking that politics undermines integrity and is incompatible with morality. These the relationship between politics and utilitarian calculation; the possibility that the realm of politics is a separate realm of value; and the difficulty of reconciling the demands of different social roles. She concludes that, in the modern world, we all risk losing our integrity. To that extent, we are all politicians. Moreover, we have reason to be glad that politicians are not always morally good.Written with verve and clarity, this book provides students and general readers an accessible guide to the philosophical debates about the complex relationship between politics and morality in the contemporary world.

Genres: Philosophy

Paperback

First published June 30, 2006

About the author

Susan Lesley Mendus, CBE, FBA, FLSW is a Welsh academic specializing in political philosophy. She is Professor Emerita of Political Philosophy at the University of York.

Reviews

[Юра Мельник · Rating 4 out of 5]

Виборці обирають не чесних і високоморальних політиків, а тих, хто може виглядати чесними і високоморальними в очах інших.

[Idoru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, concise and well written. An excellent introduction to the topic.

[Gabz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began reading this book for a university module which related to ethics in international relations and was quite pleasantly impressed with the quality of the work and its accesibility.

The examples are clear and relatable, bringing the theory closer even to the inexperienced reader first picking up a book on this subject. I find that the conclusions for each chapter were also very useful in cementing the lessons of each section.

I appreciated the interpretation of Machiavelli and the flow of the presentation from models of common moral understanding over to the challenges to these models and the rationale behind the challenges.

All in all, a very good book and a very good introduction to the subject of politics and morality.

[Siavash · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was my first reading in this area of ethics, yet I should say that Susan Mendus succeeds in providing a fluid line of thought with various historical examples and hallmark quotations. This book introduced a lot of new ideas to my mind (although I picked up the book for exactly this reason).