This textbook reflects the buoyant state of contemporary political philosophy, and the development of the subject in the past two decades. It includes seminal papers on fundamental philosophical issues such as:

the nature of social explanation

distributive justice

liberalism and communitarianism

citizenship and multiculturalism

nationalism

democracy

criminal justice.

A range of views is represented, demonstrating the richness of the philosophical contribution to some of the most contested areas of public policy and political decision making. Each section has an introduction by the editors that situates the papers in the ongoing debate. Further Reading sections feature at the end of each chapter.

Readings from the following thinkers are included:

Steven Lukes, Robert Nozick, John Rawls, Bhikhu Parekh, Antony Duff, G.A. Cohen, Derek Parfit, Roger Scruton, Michael Sandel, Alasdair MacIntrye.

Debates in Contemporary Political Philosophy will be a valuable resource for upper-level students interested in current thinking in this area.