Democracy's Discontent: America in Search of a Public Philosophy

Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: I found this book to be an interesting exploration of the evolution of American political values. Sandel argues that, over time, American political values have moved away from the political philosophy embedded in the Constitution. To illustrate his thesis, Sandel uses legal instances sucha as laws and legal judgements. This book was written by a lawyer, not a political scientist, so the methodology is different than in many books of a similar nature. It's prose is well written and accessable, without being over simplified. Overall, I found it to be interesting and informative.

Rating:
Summary: Almost there
Review: It needed a hundred more pages, particularly in the begining when he was contrasting Liberalism and Republicanism at the theoretical level. Because of the brevety of the treatment of the subject he seemed to over implify some very fundanental issues. Further, I disagree with the conclusion he seems to imply that Holmesian jurisprudence created a basis for contemporary liberalism. It certainly seems to me that, although some of Holmes' work is liberal, the "Lochner" jurisprudence that he was reacting against represented true liberal (in the libertarian sense) orthodoxy, and that the likes of John Harlan (which he views as representing republican values) posited the more exspansive view of liberalism. All in all this is a good book, It just needed a little more development.

Rating:
Summary: Almost there
Review: It needed a hundred more pages, particularly in the begining when he was contrasting Liberalism and Republicanism at the theoretical level. Because of the brevety of the treatment of the subject he seemed to over implify some very fundanental issues. Further, I disagree with the conclusion he seems to imply that Holmesian jurisprudence created a basis for contemporary liberalism. It certainly seems to me that, although some of Holmes' work is liberal, the "Lochner" jurisprudence that he was reacting against represented true liberal (in the libertarian sense) orthodoxy, and that the likes of John Harlan (which he views as representing republican values) posited the more exspansive view of liberalism. All in all this is a good book, It just needed a little more development.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring a new civic political dialogue
Review: Michael J. Sandel's book, Democracy's Discontent, is a thought-provoking journey into the depths of America's democratic consciousness. Its solution of recognizing our multiplicity of identities by dispersing sovereignty seems a promising and novel alternative to counteract the degradation of democracy caused by the global economy. This book is a must-read for any students of political philosophy since it offers keen insights into the necessity of a public political dialogue. I strongly recommend Democracy's Discontent.