Liberty and Equality

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

An invaluable reflection on the essence of liberal democracyand an ideal introduction to the work of political philosopher Raymond Aron

Liberty and Equality is the first English translation of the last lecture delivered at the Collge de France by Raymond Aron, one of the most influential political and social thinkers of the twentieth century. In this important work, the most prominent French liberal intellectual of the Cold War era presents his views on the core values of liberal democracy: liberty and equality. At the same time, he provides an ideal introduction to key aspects of his thought.

Ranging from Soviet ideology to Watergate, Aron reflects on root concepts of democracy and representative government, articulates a notion of liberty or freedom as equal right as distinct from equal outcome, and discusses different kinds of liberties: personal, political, religious, and social. In search of a common truth or at least a common good, and analyzing what he perceives as the crisis of liberal democracies, Aron opens a space for reexamining the relation between liberty and equality.

Author Bio

Raymond Aron (19051983) was one of the most important political philosophers and sociologists of the twentieth century. His many books include The Opium of the Intellectuals. Samuel Garrett Zeitlin is the HK Link Early Career Research Fellow and College Lecturer in Politics at Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge. He is the coeditor and translator of Carl Schmitts Early Legal-Theoretical Writings and Land and Sea: A World-Historical Meditation and has also published translations of Schmitts Dialogues and The Tyranny of Values.