Civil Society: The Conservative Meaning of Liberal Politics

In Civil Society, Cahoone stages a critical engagement between the social-political viewpoints of liberalism, communitarianism, and conservatism in order to effect a balanced relation that will bypass or overcome the inadequacies of each position. Through this engagement, Cahoone argues that the concept of civil society assumes a mediatory role and that there is more common ground between today’s so-called liberals and conservatives than is generally assumed. The book ranges across all major schools of contemporary political thought, addressing the inherent goods of liberal polities, the nature of liberty, the concept of civil society and neighborhood, the dialectical interplay of civility and culture, and the relation of politics and truth.