Beyond Individualism: Reconstituting the Liberal Self / Edition 1

by Jack Crittenden

Overview

In the examination of the conception of human nature, a duality is commonly perceived—the liberal self as atomistic, self-contained, even selfish; and the communitarian self as socially situated and defined through its environment. Crittenden argues that neither view is acceptable, drawing on recent psychological research to expound on a theory of "compound individuality." This work includes a discussion of the compound individual as the self of liberalism, as well as a discussion of the sort of political organization that can generate personal identity constituted by liberal autonomy and communitarian sociality.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195073300
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/13/1992
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	9.62(w) x 6.43(h) x 0.89(d)

About the Author

Arizona State University

Table of Contents

	Introduction	3
I	Behind Individualism
1.	The Disposition of the Self	13
	Charles Taylor: The Disengaged Self Versus the Strong Evaluator	14
	Alasdair MacIntyre: Individualism Versus Narrative Unity	21
	Michael Sandel: The Unencumbered Self Versus the Socially Situated Self	28
	The Self as a Two-Track System	34
2.	The Theory of Compound Individuality	38
	Piaget's Cognitive Structures	39
	The Self-system: Process and Product	42
	Membership Versus Autonomy	44
	Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development	52
	Critiques of Kohlberg	60
	Liberal and Communitarian Selves Revisited	63
II	Beyond Individualism
3.	Autonomous Selfhood: Individualism Versus Compound Individuality	73
	Defining Autonomy	74
	Individualism	77
	Contextualism and Compound Individuality	82
	Practicing Contextualism	91
4.	Political Participation: Self-development and Self-interest	96
	Participation as Cultivation of Character	97
	Mirroring: Habits of the Heart	100
	Empirical Support for Participation as Self-development	104
	Outcomes: Generating the Common Good	108
	Transforming Self-interests	114
	Rousseau's Self-interest Properly Understood	117
	Transcending Self-interest	122
	Why Obey?	124
5.	Veneration of Community	129
	What Is Community?	130
	Communitarians on Community	135
	Total Community	137
	Participation and Liberal Community	142
III	Reconstituting the Liberal Self
6.	Socrates in a Pluralistic Tradition	149
	Retrospective	149
	Modern or "New" Liberals	154
	A New Liberal Psychology	160
	The Bugbear of Relativism	163
	Liberal Virtues and the Good Life	168
	Liberal Politics	172
	Liberal Lessons from Communitarianism	177
	Notes	183
	Bibliography	209
	Index	224

Editorial Reviews

"Beyond Individualism shows us that there are other choices besides liberal atomism and communitarian nostalgia. It is something that we already should have known, but Crittenden is right to have reminded us."—American Political Science Review

"An important contribution on a topic of "self," which has no clearly defined disciplinary home.... The book is forcefully argued...well written, and accessible to readers lacking knowledge in many relevant disciplines.... A welcome addition to an important area of study."—Great Plains Sociologist

"This is an important book, novel and highly suggestive."—Ethics

From the Publisher