Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Introduction

Citation

Kymlicka, W. (2002). Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Introduction (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Chapter Summary

The second edition has nine chapters and 497 pages: the chapters end at page 430, with the bibliography beginning on page 431 and the index on page 479. Apart from a short introduction, each chapter takes one school of Anglo-American political philosophy. The publisher says the second edition adds two chapters, on citizenship theory and on multiculturalism, and updates the chapters on utilitarianism, liberal egalitarianism, libertarianism, Marxism, communitarianism and feminism, with a guide to further reading at the end of each chapter. Several chapters close with an assessment of the "politics" of the position.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Examines the notion, advanced by Ronald Dworkin, that every plausible political theory shares the same ultimate value, equality, and considers the deeper idea of treating people "as equals". It asks what it would mean for libertarianism to take freedom, or utilitarianism to take utility, as its foundational value, and argues that a theory of justice must in the end fit and illuminate our convictions about justice.

Chapter 2: Utilitarianism

Examines utilitarianism as a political morality, starting with what makes it attractive: its goal does not rest on a God or a soul, and it is consequentialist. It splits the theory into an account of welfare and an instruction to maximise it, weighs the arguments for treating utility maximisation as the standard of rightness, and concludes that it is inadequate as an account of equal consideration.

Chapter 3: Liberal Equality

Presents John Rawls's alternative to utilitarianism and to intuitionism through two arguments, one from equality of opportunity and one from the social contract. It then turns to Dworkin's equality of resources, built on auctions, insurance, markets and taxation, and ends with the politics of liberal equality.

Chapter 4: Libertarianism

Starts from the diversity of right-wing theory and gives most attention to Robert Nozick's entitlement theory and his intuitive argument. It considers the right to liberty, the contractarian idea of mutual advantage and the principle of self-ownership, and closes with the politics of libertarianism and its shared commitment with liberal equality to respecting people's choices.

Chapter 5: Marxism

Treats Marxism as a normative theory and separates two strands of analytic Marxism: one that rejects the idea of justice, and one that accepts justice but denies that it is compatible with private ownership of the means of production, criticised either as exploitation or as alienation. It also looks at non-Marxist conceptions of social democracy and social justice.

Chapter 6: Communitarianism

Distinguishes two strands, one making community the source of principles of justice and one giving community a larger role in their content, and takes up the proposal to supplement the liberal "politics of rights" with a "politics of the common good". It also covers the embedded self, political liberalism, liberal nationalism, Charles Taylor's social thesis and the link between nationalism and cosmopolitanism.

Chapter 7: Citizenship Theory

New in this edition. Treats citizenship as a supplement to theories of justice, comparing classical and liberal forms of civic republicanism, asking how liberal states can promote citizenship virtues, and considering the market, civic associations and the family as seedbeds of civic virtue.

Chapter 8: Multiculturalism

Also new. Describes three stages in the debate (a start in communitarianism, the question of scope within liberal theory, and nation-building) and five types of ethnocultural group in Western democracies: national minorities, immigrants, isolationist ethnoreligious groups, metics and racial caste groups.

Chapter 9: Feminism

Examines three feminist criticisms of mainstream theory: the "gender-neutral" account of sex discrimination, the public–private distinction and the claim that the emphasis on justice reflects a male bias. It distinguishes two conceptions of the public–private line and closes with the ethic of care against the "ethic of justice".

Key Concepts

Chapters 1–4: Equality, Utility and Liberty

• Treating people as equals: the idea in Chapter 1 that competing theories differ over what equal treatment demands, not over whether it matters.
• Equality of resources: Dworkin's account, in Chapter 3, using auctions and insurance.
• Self-ownership and entitlement: the principles around which Chapter 4 reconstructs Nozick's libertarianism.

Chapters 5–9: Critics and Extensions

• Politics of the common good: the communitarian alternative to the politics of rights in Chapter 6.
• Civic republicanism: the classical and liberal forms discussed in Chapter 7.
• Group-differentiated rights: the cultural-diversity theme of Chapter 8.
• Ethic of care: the contrast with an "ethic of justice" at the end of Chapter 9.

Critical Analysis

Strengths

• A unifying question. The introduction examines Dworkin's claim that all plausible theories share equality as an ultimate value and proposes that a theory of justice be tested against our convictions about justice, which gives the chapters a common thread.
• Argument, not just summary. The abstracts show each chapter assessing its school, for example concluding that utilitarianism is inadequate as an account of equal consideration, and several chapters end with a discussion of the politics that follows.
• Broad cast of thinkers. The publisher lists Cohen, Dworkin, Galston, Gilligan, Hare, Mackinnon, Miller, Van Parijs, Okin, Nozick, Rawls, Roemer, Sandel, Taylor, Walzer and Young among those discussed.
• Meant for newcomers. The publisher calls the writing engaging, accessible and non-technical, and the 2002 edition adds extended guides to further reading with books, articles, journals and websites.

Limitations

• Dated. The text is from 2002; debates since then are not covered.
• Anglo-American scope. The publisher describes the field as Anglo-American political philosophy, and the nine chapters follow the schools of that tradition.
• Selected schools only. The contents list no chapter on topics such as global justice or the environment, and some themes the publisher mentions, such as deliberative democracy, are not chapter titles.
• Length of chapters. The central chapters run to 40 to 75 pages, which can be demanding for a first reader.

Where It Fits in the Course

Within the modern political thought list, Kymlicka is the map of the contemporary debate. Rawls's A Theory of Justice and Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia are primary texts the book discusses: Chapter 3 presents Rawls (with Dworkin) and Chapter 4 reconstructs Nozick, so reading Kymlicka first prepares readers to approach either original. Iris Marion Young's Justice and the Politics of Difference challenges the distributive paradigm that dominated justice theory after Rawls; Young is among the thinkers the publisher names, and Chapters 8 and 9, on multiculturalism and feminism, address questions of group difference.

Two other books are lighter. Heywood's Political Ideologies surveys ideologies one per chapter, in a different register from the arguments Kymlicka reconstructs. Adam Swift's Political Philosophy: A Beginners' Guide is a short book organised around political values, a gentler first step than this survey.

How to Use This Book

The book is for undergraduates in political theory or political philosophy courses; no earlier philosophy is required, though an introductory course helps.

• Core: Chapters 1–4 give the framework and the main liberal and libertarian positions. Read Chapter 3 before Rawls and Chapter 4 before Nozick.
• Next: Chapters 5 and 6 (Marxism and communitarianism) present the main criticisms of those positions.
• Choose by course: Chapters 7, 8 and 9 (citizenship, multiculturalism, feminism) can be read separately for courses on citizenship, diversity or gender.
• Use the reading guides at the end of each chapter to find the primary texts, then read the originals.
• Check the date: treat the book as a map of the field as it stood in 2002 and supplement it with later articles.