Publisher's Synopsis
Michael Brint provides a reading of some of the greatest stories told in the history of Western political theory. The unifying theme is the issue of differences and the conflicts they generate. Brint's targets are those thinkers, classical and contemporary, who would deny the reality of difference and the necessarily tragic element inherent in human political society.;There are many ways to deny or cover up the tragic element in human affairs, including appeals to dialectics, to irony and to an ineffable "differance". But against ironists, deconstructionists and all the others, Professor Brint urges that ethical differences should be taken literally, with the respect necessary to come to terms with the conflicts that inevitably arise in real-life pluralistic communities.;The book offers a contribution to our understanding of historical and contemporary political thought. It is intended for anyone who would take part in this continuing conversation.
