Compromise

Alin Fumurescu is Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Tulane University.

'In this bold, scrupulous, and wholly original work of political theory, Alin Fumurescu undertakes a genealogy of this crucial but frequently maligned concept. In a fascinating reconstruction of the etymology of compromise, Fumurescu traces the roots of our ambivalence to the early modern world, when a largely positive English view that regards compromise as a healthy attribute of liberal politics diverged sharply from the French contempt for compromise as a betrayal of our innermost conscience. The author moves effortlessly from Athens and Rome to early modern Europe and beyond, connecting back up with today's philosophical discussions of compromise. By tracing clear lines of influence between early modern intellectual history and our contemporary political tribulations, the author succeeds where many works of political theory fall short. Fumurescu's insights will be of interest to historians, philosophers, political theorists, and policy makers alike.' Richard Boyd, Georgetown University

• 1. Introduction: 'in politics we have an art...'; 2. No compromise about compromise; 3. The genealogy of compromise and its vagaries; 4. The dialectic of the individual; 5. Compromise and centripetal individualism; 6. Compromise and centrifugal individualism; 7. The forgotten road of representation: continental contractarian theories; 8. The British contract as com-promise; 9. Conclusions: compromising the art of compromise - the one-dimensional man.