Reviews for The Crisis of Democratic Theory: Scientific Naturalism and the Problem of Value

The average rating for The Crisis of Democratic Theory: Scientific Naturalism and the Problem of Value based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-07-25 00:00:00 Edward Damptz This book was really excellent. It should have been on my reading list long ago. The author does a really great job of discussing the intellectual climate of the 1920s to 1940s in relation to science and issues of value, government, and politics. He gives a really great outline of the shift in liberal thought from the pre- to post- war years as scholars struggled to argue for scientific neutrality and pluralism when faced with the social and political events of the 1930s. It sets great context for an understanding of the history of the human sciences in this period, including law, political science, sociology, and psychology.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-08-28 00:00:00 Bill Andrew investigates the relationship between ethical relativism and democracy. Purcell asks whether a society built on a foundation of relativism can be democratic and whether relativism or a faith in a higher moral truth are more likely to lead to absolutism in practice.