Morals and politics /

This book tackles two central issues in political theory--under what conditions the state is morally legitimate, and when and how the state may be subjected to moral criticism. Hosle (Notre Dame) begins with a survey of responses to these problems in Western thought. The author suggests that whereas the ancients were comfortable with the moral evaluation of various political states, modern writers such as Hobbes and Machiavelli were much more pessimistic about the likely consequences of such a project. More troublesome for this sort of work is the view found in Marx, among others, that ethics is merely the byproduct of a social arrangement--ethical standards are deployed by representatives of the state to justify and achieve its goals. Hosle then lays out and defends the ethical theory he will later use to critique political systems, a variant of Kantianism. In the second section Hosle offers a descriptive, sociological account of human beings, their societies, and the state. The final section sets out his vision of the just state. This book is impressive for its detail and sweep. Various sections of the book will be useful for scholars in political science, political philosophy, and analytic sociology. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Graduate students and faculty/researchers. M. A. Michael Austin Peay State University