Ethics in Politics The Rights and Obligations of Individual Political Agents [Hardcover]

Within the field of political philosophy, the role of states, governments, and institutions has dominated research. This has led to a dearth of literature that examines what individualse.g., voters, lobbyists, and politiciansought (or ought not) to do. Ethics in Politics: The Rights and Obligations of Individual Political Agents meets this need, providing a timely discussion of normative questions concerning political agents and the systems in which they act. The book contains eighteen original chapters by leading scholars which cover a range of topics including irrational voting, bribery, partisanship, and political lying. Ethics in Politics is a unique and accessible resource for students, researchers, and all interested readers, and sheds light on important but underexplored issues in ethics and political philosophy.

Part I: Lying in Politics

1. Murderers at the Ballot Box: When Politicians May Lie to Bad Voters

2. The Greatest Liar Has His Believers: The Social Epistemology of Political Lying

3. Nonideal Politicians or Nonideal Circumstances?: Rethinking Dirty Hands

4. In Defense of Partisanship

5. A Defense of Senate Obstructionism

6. Conviction and Open-Mindedness: A Lesson on Political Revision from Adam Smith

7. Must We Vote for the Common Good?

8. A Demarcation Problem for Political Discourse

9. Public Reason and Its Limits

10. Why Bad Votes Can Nonetheless Be Cast and Why Bad Voters May Cast Them

11. The Rationality of Voting and DulÓ"