Book Cover
Book
Author Morris, Christopher W.

Title An essay on the modern state / Christopher W. Morris
Published Cambridge, England ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1998

Copies

Location Call no. Vol. Availability
 MELB  320.1 Mor/Eot  AVAILABLE
Description x, 305 pages ; 24 cm
Contents 1. Introduction -- 2. The modern state -- 3. Social order in anarchy -- 4. Legitimacy -- 5. Reasons -- 6. Justice -- 7. Sovereignty -- 8. Boundaries -- 9. The functions of governments -- 10. States: Pretenses, powers, prospects
Summary This important book is the first serious philosophical examination of the modern state. It inquires into the justification of this particular form of political society. It asks whether all states are "nation-states," what are the alternative ways of organizing society, and which conditions make a state legitimate. The author concludes that, while states can be legitimate, they typically fail to have the powers (e.g., sovereignty) they claim. Many books analyze government and its functions, but none other focuses on the state as a distinctive form of political organization or examines critically the claims states make for themselves. In filling this lacuna, Christopher Morris has written a book that will command the attention of political philosophers, political scientists, legal theorists, and specialists in international relations
Notes First paperback edition published 2002
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Subject State, The.
LC no. 97020458
ISBN 052149625X hardcover