Adam Swift

Harry Brighouse

The Ethics of Parent-Child Relationships

Family Values

The family is hotly contested ideological terrain. Some defend the traditional two-parent heterosexual family while others welcome its demise. Opinions vary about how much control parents should have over their children's upbringing. Family Values provides a major new theoretical account of the morality and politics of the family, telling us why the family is valuable, who has the right to parent, and what rights parents should—and should not—have over their children. Harry Brighouse and Adam Swift argue that parent-child relationships produce the "familial relationship goods" that people need to flourish. Children's healthy development depends on intimate relationships with authoritative adults, while the distinctive joys and challenges of parenting are part of a fulfilling life for adults. Yet the relationships that make these goods possible have little to do with biology, and do not require the extensive rights that parents currently enjoy. Challenging some of our most commonly held beliefs about the family, Brighouse and Swift explain why a child's interest in autonomy severely limits parents' right to shape their children's values, and why parents have no fundamental right to confer wealth or advantage on their children. Family Values reaffirms the vital importance of the family as a social institution while challenging its role in the reproduction of social inequality and carefully balancing the interests of parents and children.

Helen F. Ladd

Susanna Loeb

This book, jointly authored by two distinguished philosophers and two prominent social scientists, has an ambitious aim: to improve decision-making in education policy. First they dive into the goals of education policy and explain the terms "educational goods" and "childhood goods," adding precision and clarity to the discussion of the distributive values that are essential for good decision-making about education. Then they provide a framework for individual decision-makers that enables them to combine values and evidence in the evaluation of educational policy options. Finally they delve into the particular policy issues of school finance, school accountability, and school choice, and they show how decision makers might approach them in the light of this decision-making framework. The authors are not advocated particular policy choices, however. The focus instead is a smart framework that will make it easier for policymakers (and readers) to identify and think through what they disagree with others about.

Values, Evidence, and Decision-Making

Educational Goods

How can politicians across the political spectrum appeal to the same values? This edition answers this questions, using examples to equip readers to think for themselves about the ideas that shape political life. Bringing It provides tools to cut through the complexities of modern politics, aiming to make a contribution to the democratic process.

A Beginners' Guide for Students and Politicians

Political Philosophy

Stephen Mulhall

This is a substantially updated edition of the established guide to this key debate in modern political philosophy.

Liberals and Communitarians

Bringing political philosophy out of the ivory tower and within the reach of all, this book provides us with the tools to cut through the complexity of modern politics.

Politicians invoke grand ideas: social justice, liberty, equality,community. But what do these ideas really mean? How can politicians across the political spectrum appeal to the same values? Political Philosophy: A Beginners' Guide for Students and Politicians answers these important questions. Accessible and lively, the book is an ideal student text, but it also brings the insights of the world's leading political philosophers to a wide general audience. Using plenty of examples, it equips readers to think for themselves about the ideas that shape political life. Democracy works best when both politicians and voters move beyond rhetoric to think clearly and carefully about the political principles that should govern their society. But clear thinking is difficult in an age when established orthodoxies have fallen by the wayside. Bringing political philosophy out of the ivory tower and within the reach of all, this book provides us with tools to cut through the complexities of modern politics. In so doing, it makes a valuable contribution to the democratic process.

Political Philosophy: A Beginner's Guide for Students and Politicians

Politicians invoke grand ideas: social justice, democracy, community, liberty, equality. But what do these ideas really mean? How can politicians across the political spectrum appeal to the same values? This fourth edition of Adam Swift's highly readable introduction to political philosophy answers these important questions, and includes new material on issues such as nationalism, immigration and multiculturalism, as well as updated guides to further reading. This lively and accessible book is ideal for students, but it also brings the insights of the world's leading political philosophers to a wide general audience. Using plenty of examples, it equips readers to think for themselves about the ideas that shape political life. Democracy works best when both politicians and voters move beyond rhetoric to think clearly and carefully about the values and principles that should govern their society. But clear thinking is difficult in an age when established orthodoxies have fallen by the wayside and political debate is becoming increasingly tribal and raucous. Bringing political philosophy out of the ivory tower and within the reach of all, this book provides us with tools to cut through the complexities and penetrate the smokescreens of modern politics. In so doing, it makes a valuable contribution to the democratic process and this new edition will continue to be essential reading for students of political philosophy and theory.

¿Qué saben los políticos de filosofía política? ¿Sobre qué base los ciudadanos podemos pensar el rumbo ideológico o los valores que subyacen a determinado gobierno? Adam Swift, uno de los más importantes filósofos políticos ingleses, se propuso escribir una suerte de ABC de la disciplina, destinado a los dirigentes que toman decisiones pero también a todo aquel que quiera comprender los fundamentos profundos que inciden en la política y en el tipo de sociedad que se plantea como horizonte. Con extrema claridad y destreza para explicar nociones complejas, Swift pasa revista a los principales tópicos y corrientes teóricas. Así, analiza conceptos como la justicia social, la libertad, la igualdad, la comunidad y la democracia, pensando siempre a partir de ejemplos y deteniéndose en los debates más relevantes de las últimas décadas. A la vez, el texto incorpora temas de gran actualidad, como la justicia global y la equidad de género. Y cuenta con introducciones breves, incisivas y de fácil comprensión a la obra de los autores más influyentes –una lista que contempla, entre tantos otros, a intelectuales muy reconocidos en nuestra región, como Robert Nozick, Joseph Raz, John Rawls, Michael Sandel, Debra Satz, Quentin Skinner, Charles Taylor, Jeremy Waldron y Michael Walzer–. Quienes deseen profundizar algunas cuestiones o consultar directamente las fuentes encontrarán, además, una lista de lecturas adicionales. Por el compromiso del autor y el carácter sistemático de la obra, su publicación constituye sin duda una gran noticia para la filosofía política de habla hispana –que finalmente tiene en sus manos la traducción de un ensayo que se ha convertido ya en un clásico en la materia–, y una señal de esperanza para nuestra vibrante, pero muchas veces deficitaria, discusión pública. Un libro de referencia insoslayable.

Guía para estudiantes y políticos

¿Qué es y para qué sirve la filosofía política?

How not to be a hypocrite: the indispensable guide to school choice that morally perplexed parents have been waiting for. Many of us believe in social justice and equality of opportunity - but we also want the best for our kids. How can we square our political principles with our special concern for our own children? This marvellous book takes us through the moral minefield that is school choice today. Does a commitment to social justice mean you have to send your children to the local comprehensive - regardless of its academic results? Is it hypocritical to disapprove of private schools and yet send your child to one? Some parents feel guilty but shouldn't. Others should feel guilty but don't. Read How Not to be a Hypocrite, then answer the questionnaire, and work out where you stand on this crucial issue.

School Choice for the Morally Perplexed Parent

How Not to be a Hypocrite

Can parents send their children to private schools and still live up to their ideals? Can you be a good citizen and a good parent? These difficult questions, and many more, are raised and answered in this insightful and thought-provoking book.

Adam Swift

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