Judith Shklar and the liberalism of fear

What does the work of Judith Shklar reveal to us about the proper role and limits of political theory? In particular, what are the implications of her arguments both for the way in which we should think of freedom and for the approach we should take to the resolution of moral conflicts? There is growing interest in Shklar’s arguments, in particular the so-called liberalism of fear, characteristic of her mature work. She has become an important influence for those taking a sceptical approach to political thought and also for those concerned first and foremost with the avoidance of great evils. However, this book shows that the most important factor shaping her mature work is not her scepticism but, rather, a value monist approach to both moral conflict and freedom, and that this represents a radical departure from the value pluralism (and scepticism) of her early work. This book also advances a clear line of argument in defence of value pluralism in political theory, one that builds on but moves beyond Shklar’s own early work. This book puts forward a novel interpretation of Judith Shklar's liberalism of fear. Shklar's work is usually seen as an important influence for those who take a sceptical approach to political thought and are concerned first and foremost with the avoidance of great evils. In fact, as this book shows, the most important factor shaping her mature work is not her scepticism but rather a value monist approach to both moral conflict and freedom, which represents a radical departure from the value pluralism (and scepticism) of her early work. The book also advances a clear line of argument in defence of value pluralism in political theory, one that builds on but moves beyond Shklar's own early work This book is both an exploration of Judith Shklar’s liberalism of fear and an examination of the proper role and limits of political theory. It advances a novel interpretation of Shklar’s mature work, one that emphasises its value monism. It also defends a value pluralist approach to resolving moral conflicts and thinking about freedom. Front matter Dedication Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Liberalism Cruelty Freedom Utopia Obligation Tyranny Theory References Index