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With their remarkable electoral successes, Green parties worldwide seized the political imagination of friends and foes alike. Mainstream politicians busily disparage them and imitate them in turn. This new book shows that 'greens' deserve to be taken more seriously than that. This is the first full-length philosophical discussion of the green political programme. Goodin shows that green public policy proposals are unified by a single, coherent moral vision - a 'green theory of value' - that is largely independent of the `green theory of agency' dictating green political mechanisms, strategies and tactics on the one hand, and personal lifestyle recommendations on the other. The upshot is that we demand that politicians implement green public policies, and implement them completely, without committing ourselves to the other often more eccentric aspects of green doctrine that threaten to alienate so many potential supporters.
List of contents
Preface.
Part I: What's New?:.
1. The Issues.
2. The Arguments.
3. The Organizations.
4. The Thesis.
Part II: A Green Theory of Value: .
5. The Good and the Valuable.
6. A Taxonomy of Theories of Value.
7. History and Process as Sources of Value.
8. Naturalness as a Source of Value.
9. Humanity and Nature.
10. Green Corollaries.
11. Green Heresies.
Part III: The Unity of the Green Programme:.
12. Single-issue Groups versus Catch-all Parties.
13. A Unified Moral Vision.
14. Claims of Consistency.
15. Brown Evasions.
16. Weighing Countervailing Values.
17. Compromising Green Values.
Part IV:.
18. Theories of Value and Theories of Agency.
19. Principles of Green Political Action.
20. Principles of Green Party Organization.
21. Principles of Green Political Structures.
22. Conclusion.
Part V: Conclusions:.
23. The Fate of Green Politics.
24. The Fate of the Earth.
Appendix: The Green Political Programme.
References.
Index.
About the author
Robert E. Goodin has written a number of books on political theory, public policy and applied ethics. He is also the founding Editor of the new
Journal of Political Philosophy and was previously co-editor of the
British Journal of Political Science.
Summary
aeo This is the first full--length treatment of green politics offering a philosophical approach while maintaining political orientation. aeo Unlike many current affairs commentaries, Goodin provides a thorough theoretical basis for our understanding of green parties and movements.
