The book proposes a new interpretation of Alexis de Tocqueville that views him first and foremost as a social scientist rather than as a political theorist. Drawing on his earlier work on the explanation of social behavior, Elster argues that Tocqueville's main claim to our attention today rests on the large number of exportable causal mechanisms to be found in his work, many of which are still worthy of further exploration. Elster proposes a novel reading of Democracy in America in which the key explanatory variable is the rapid economic and political turnover rather than equality of wealth at any given point in time. He also offers a reading of The Ancien Régime and the Revolution as grounded in the psychological relations among the peasantry, the bourgeoisie, and the nobility. Consistently going beyond exegetical commentary, he argues that Tocqueville is eminently worth reading today for his substantive and methodological insights.
Les mer
1. Preference formation; 2. Belief formation; 3. Self-interest and individualism; 4. Passions; 5. Desires, opportunities, capacities; 6. Patterns of social causality; 7. Equality and mobility; 8. Democratic government; 9. Revolution.
Les mer
'Elster's jeweler's eye has seen into the hidden intricacies and profundities of Tocqueville the political psychologist and comparative social historian. A sumptuous, stringent and path-breaking book.' Stephen Holmes, New York University School of Law
Les mer
Arguing that Tocqueville was fundamentally a social scientist rather than a political theorist, Elster emphasizes Tocqueville's substantive and methodological insights.
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780521518444
Publisert
2009-04-27
Utgiver
Vendor
Cambridge University Press
Vekt
440 gr
Høyde
235 mm
Bredde
159 mm
Dybde
21 mm
Aldersnivå
UU, 05
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
212
Forfatter