Beyond Left and Right

Anthony Giddens

How should one understand the nature and possibilities of political Radicalism today? The political radical is normally thought of as someone who stands on the left, opposing backwardlooking conservatism. In the present day, however, the left has turned defensive, while the right has become radical, advocating the tree play of market forces no matter what obstacles of tradition or custom stand in their way.

What explains such a curious twist of perspective? In answering this question, Giddens develops a new framework for radical politics, drawing on what he calls philosophical conservatism, but applying this outlook in the service of values normally associated with the left. The ecological crisis is at the core of this analysis, but is understood by Giddens in an unconventional way-as a response to a world in which modernity has run up against its limits as a social and moral order. The end of nature, as an entity existing independently of human intervention, and the end of tradition, combined with the impact of globalisation, are the forces which now have to be
confronted, made use of and coped with.

This book provides a powerful interpretation of the rise of fundamentalism, of democracy, the persistence of gender divisions and the question of a normative political theory of violence. It will be essential reading for anyone seeking a novel approach to the political challenges we face at the
turn of the twenty-first century.

ISBN 9780745614397
uit 1994
276  pagina’s
Afmetingen boek: 15 x 23 x 2.7 cm
Uitgever: polity Press

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