The
first book to present a full-scale critique of Rawlsian liberalism
as extended to international relations.
"This is an intelligent, perceptive, and well-written book, the
first that tries to unite a critical discussion of the philosophical
core of political liberalism with an examination of its application
to international relations.[All of the central problems of international
political theory (at least those that have preoccupied the literature)
are attended to, and the discussions of individual normative issues
(self-determination, intervention, etc.) are well integrated into
the author's overall theory.] The study rests on a broad reading
of the pertinent literature; indeed, it could function as a guide
to the current philosophical literature on international justice
for a scholar or graduate student who wanted to get acquainted with
it."-Charles R. Beitz, Bowdoin College
"Liberalism involves commitments to personal freedom and mutual
tolerance. How are these commitments to be balanced? Must a liberal
order tolerate nonliberal groups and practices within itself, even
if doing so is costly in terms of personal autonomy? What are the
limits of such tolerance? These questions, which arise in global
and intrastate contexts, are systematically answered by the liberal
philosophy developed in this clear and elegant book by Kok-Chor
Tan. Although inspired by Rawls, Tan's liberalism provides a unified
and compelling alternative to the liberal vision Rawls has constructed
in Political Liberalism [1993] and The Law of Peoples
[1999]. Tan's alternative covers the full ground, from deep
methodological reflections to concrete questions of institutional
design. This is a powerful first work."-Thomas W. Pogge, Columbia
University
The "comprehensive liberalism" defended in this book offers an
alternative to the narrower "political liberalism" associated with
the writings of John Rawls. By arguing against making tolerance
as fundamental a value as individual autonomy, and extending the
reach of liberalism to global society, it opens the way for dealing
more adequately with problems of human rights and economic inequality
in a world of cultural pluralism.
