Politics, Innocence and the Limits of Goodness - Peter Johnson - Books - Taylor and Francis - 9780415010467 - December 15, 1988
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Politics, Innocence and the Limits of Goodness 1st edition

Peter Johnson

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Politics, Innocence and the Limits of Goodness 1st edition

Moral innocence is of enduring interest because it seems to embody our ideals in their purest form. The place of moral innocence in politics is the central theme of Peter Johnson's subtle and original book. Are there moral dispositions which are not only incompatible with politics but actually endanger it? If it is sometimes necessary to act badly in order to achieve desirable political objectives, what moral standpoints would exclude such a course of action?

Peter Johnson demonstrates convincingly why philosophical accounts of morality, past and present, are unable to explain moral innocence: its full impact on politics can only be grasped by putting aside traditional theories. Literature provides the key to a deeper understanding of the relationship between politics and morality. Melville's Billy Budd, Shakespeare's Henry VI, and Graham Greene's The Quiet American reveal moral innocence at work in political circumstances of great intensity. Through these and other literary figures, we see at last the specific character of moral innocence and why it is connected with political disaster.

Media Books     Hardcover Book   (Book with hard spine and cover)
Released December 15, 1988
ISBN13 9780415010467
Publishers Taylor and Francis
Pages 320
Dimensions 453 g
Language English  

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