Between Utopia and Realism: The Political Thought of Judith N. Shklar (Haney Foundation Series)

From her position at Harvard University's Department of Government for over thirty-five years, Judith Shklar (1928-92) taught a long list of prominent political theorists and published prolifically in the domains of modern and American political thought. She was a highly original theorist of liberalism, possessing a broad and deep knowledge of intellectual history, which informed her writing in interesting and unusual ways. Her work emerged between the "end of ideology" discussions of the 1950s and the "end of history" debate of the early 1990s. Shklar contributed significantly to social and political thought by arguing for a new, more skeptical version of liberalism that brought political theory into close contact with real-life experience. The essays collected in Between Utopia and Realism reflect on and refract Shklar's major preoccupations throughout a lifetime of thinking and demonstrate the ways in which her work illuminates contemporary debates across political theory, international relations, and law. Contributors address Shklar's critique of Cold War liberalism, interpretation of Montaigne and its connection to her genealogy of liberal morals, lectures on political obligation, focus on cruelty, and her late reflections on exile. Others consider her role as a legal theorist, her interest in literary tropes and psychological experience, and her famed skepticism. Between Utopia and Realism showcases Shklar's approach to addressing the intractable problems of social life. Her finely honed political skepticism emphasized the importance of diagnosing problems over proffering excessively optimistic solutions. As this collection makes clear, her thought continues to be useful in addressing cruelty, limiting injustice, and combating the cynicism of the present moment. Contributors : Samantha Ashenden, Hannes Bajohr, James Brown, Katrina Forrester, Volker M. Heins, Andreas Hess, Samuel Moyn, Thomas Osborne, William E. Scheuerman, Quentin Skinner, Philip Spencer, Tracy B. Strong, Kamila Stullerova, Bernard Yack.

From her position at Harvard University's Department of Government for over thirty-five years, Judith Shklar (1928-92) taught a long list of prominent political theorists and published prolifically in the domains of modern and American political thought. She was a highly original theorist of liberalism, possessing a broad and deep knowledge of intellectual history, which informed her writing in interesting and unusual ways. Her work emerged between the "end of ideology" discussions of the 1950s and the "end of history" debate of the early 1990s. Shklar contributed significantly to social and political thought by arguing for a new, more skeptical version of liberalism that brought political theory into close contact with real-life experience.

The essays collected in Between Utopia and Realism reflect on and refract Shklar's major preoccupations throughout a lifetime of thinking and demonstrate the ways in which her work illuminates contemporary debates across political theory, international relations, and law. Contributors address Shklar's critique of Cold War liberalism, interpretation of Montaigne and its connection to her genealogy of liberal morals, lectures on political obligation, focus on cruelty, and her late reflections on exile. Others consider her role as a legal theorist, her interest in literary tropes and psychological experience, and her famed skepticism.

Between Utopia and Realism showcases Shklar's approach to addressing the intractable problems of social life. Her finely honed political skepticism emphasized the importance of diagnosing problems over proffering excessively optimistic solutions. As this collection makes clear, her thought continues to be useful in addressing cruelty, limiting injustice, and combating the cynicism of the present moment.

Contributors: Samantha Ashenden, Hannes Bajohr, James Brown, Katrina Forrester, Volker M. Heins, Andreas Hess, Samuel Moyn, Thomas Osborne, William E. Scheuerman, Quentin Skinner, Philip Spencer, Tracy B. Strong, Kamila Stullerova, Bernard Yack.

From her position at Harvard University's Department ofGovernment for over thirty-five years, Judith Shklar (1928-92)taught a long list of prominent political theorists and publishedprolifically in the domains of modern and American politicalthought. She was a highly original theorist of liberalism,possessing a broad and deep knowledge of intellectual history,which informed her writing in interesting and unusual ways. Herwork emerged between the "end of ideology" discussions of the 1950sand the "end of history" debate of the early 1990s. Shklarcontributed significantly to social and political thought byarguing for a new, more skeptical version of liberalism thatbrought political theory into close contact with real-lifeexperience.

The essays collected in Between Utopia and Realismreflect on and refract Shklar's major preoccupations throughout alifetime of thinking and demonstrate the ways in which her workilluminates contemporary debates across political theory,international relations, and law. Contributors address Shklar'scritique of Cold War liberalism, interpretation of Montaigne andits connection to her genealogy of liberal morals, lectures onpolitical obligation, focus on cruelty, and her late reflections onexile. Others consider her role as a legal theorist, her interestin literary tropes and psychological experience, and her famedskepticism.

Between Utopia and Realism showcases Shklar's approachto addressing the intractable problems of social life. Her finelyhoned political skepticism emphasized the importance of diagnosingproblems over proffering excessively optimistic solutions. As thiscollection makes clear, her thought continues to be useful inaddressing cruelty, limiting injustice, and combating the cynicismof the present moment.

Contributors: Samantha Ashenden, Hannes Bajohr,James Brown, Katrina Forrester, Volker M. Heins, Andreas Hess,Samuel Moyn, Thomas Osborne, William E. Scheuerman, QuentinSkinner, Philip Spencer, Tracy B. Strong, Kamila Stullerova,Bernard Yack.

From her position at Harvard University's Department of Government for over thirty-five years, Judith Shklar (1928-92) taught a long list of prominent political theorists and published prolifically in the domains of modern and American political thought. She was a highly original theorist of liberalism, possessing a broad and deep knowledge of intellectual history, which informed her writing in interesting and unusual ways. Her work emerged between the "end of ideology" discussions of the 1950s and the "end of history" debate of the early 1990s. Shklar contributed significantly to social and political thought by arguing for a new, more skeptical version of liberalism that brought political theory into close contact with real-life experience. The essays collected in Between Utopia and Realism reflect on and refract Shklar's major preoccupations throughout a lifetime of thinking and demonstrate the ways in which her work illuminates contemporary debates across political theory, international relations, and law. Contributors address Shklar's critique of Cold War liberalism, interpretation of Montaigne and its connection to her genealogy of liberal morals, lectures on political obligation, focus on cruelty, and her late reflections on exile. Others consider her role as a legal theorist, her interest in literary tropes and psychological experience, and her famed skepticism. Between Utopia and Realism showcases Shklar's approach to addressing the intractable problems of social life. Her finely honed political skepticism emphasized the importance of diagnosing problems over proffering overly optimistic solutions. As this collection makes clear, her thought continues to be useful in addressing cruelty, limiting injustice, and combating the cynicism of the present moment. Contributors: Samantha Ashenden, Hannes Bajohr, James Brown, Katrina Forrester, Volker M. Heins, Andreas Hess, Samuel Moyn, Thomas Osborne, William E. Scheuerman, Quentin Skinner, Philip Spencer, Tracy Strong, Kamila Stullerova, Bernard Yack From her position at Harvard University's Department of Government for over thirty-five years, Judith Shklar (1928-92) taught a long list of prominent political theorists and published prolifically in the domains of modern and American political thought. She was a highly original theorist of liberalism, possessing a broad and deep knowledge of intellectual history, which informed her writing in interesting and unusual ways. Her work emerged between the "end of ideology" discussions of the 1950s and the "end of history" debate of the early 1990s. Shklar contributed significantly to social and political thought by arguing for a new, more skeptical version of liberalism that brought political theory into close contact with real-life experience.The essays collected in Between Utopia and Realism reflect on and refract Shklar's major preoccupations throughout a lifetime of thinking and demonstrate the ways in which her work illuminates contemporary debates across political theory, international relations, and law. Contributors address Shklar's critique of Cold War liberalism, interpretation of Montaigne and its connection to her genealogy of liberal morals, lectures on political obligation, focus on cruelty, and her late reflections on exile. Others consider her role as a legal theorist, her interest in literary tropes and psychological experience, and her famed skepticism.Between Utopia and Realism showcases Shklar's approach to addressing the intractable problems of social life. Her finely honed political skepticism emphasized the importance of diagnosing problems over proffering excessively optimistic solutions. As this collection makes clear, her thought continues to be useful in addressing cruelty, limiting injustice, and combating the cynicism of the present moment. --Publisher description Before and beyond the liberalism of fear / Samuel Moyn -- Law and the liberalism of fear / William E. Scheuerman -- Cruelty and international relations / Kamila Stullerova -- Shklar's Montaigne and ours: a genealogy of liberal morals / Bernard Yack -- Literature and the imagination / Tracy B. Strong -- Imaginative literature and political theory : an engagement / James Brown and Thomas Osborne -- Experience, ideology, and the politics of psychology / Katrina Forrester -- Sources of liberal normativity / Hannes Bajohr -- "More modest and more political" : from the Frankfurt school to the liberalism of fear / Volker M. Heins -- "Putting cruelty first" : the summum malum, genocide, and crimes against humanity / Philip Spencer -- Political obligation and the rule of law / Samantha Ashenden -- From Antigone to Martin Luther King : moral reasoning and disobedience in context / Andreas Hess -- Last academic project / Quentin Skinner -- Judith N. Shklar : a complete bibliography / Hannes Bajohr.