On the People's Terms

Philip Pettit is L. S. Rockefeller University Professor of Politics and Human Values at Princeton University, New Jersey and also Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the Australian National University, Canberra. His books include The Common Mind, Republicanism, Rules, Reasons and Norms and Made with Words: Hobbbes on Language, Mind and Politics. Among his recent co-authored books are The Economy of Esteem, with Geoffrey Brennan; A Political Philosophy in Public Life, with Jose Marti; and Group Agency, with Christian List. A collection of papers on his work, Common Minds: Themes from the Philosophy of Philip Pettit, appeared in 2007.

“Republican theory's lighthouse figure Phillip Pettit's much awaited and more recent book on democracy offers a sum of his whole oeuvre in practical philosophy … As the title indicates, Pettit not only develops a theoretical argument, he also sketches practical avenues as to how the theory might and should guide our tuning of western democracies. Philosophers and social scientists alike will be intrigued, challenged, and nourished as they explore the book's pages.' Jean-François Grégoire, Ethical Perspectives

• Introduction: the republic, old and new; 1. Freedom as non-domination; 2. Social justice; 3. Political legitimacy; 4. Democratic influence; 5. Democratic control; Conclusion: the argument, in summary.