Do politicians have to get dirty hands – and what does that mean? Is it okay to be corrupt, when corruption is systemic? When is it a good thing to make compromises in politics? These are questions about political conduct that are raised in political ethics, a somewhat underappreciated subfield of political philosophy. This Element offers a fresh, systematic introduction to political ethics. It starts with a discussion of two challenges to the discipline: One comes from political realists who reject moralism in political philosophy and the other from public choice theorists who model politicians as rational egoists. It then discusses the problem of dirty hands, political corruption, and political compromise as three core topics of political ethics.
By:
Fabian Wendt (Virginia Tech) Imprint: Cambridge University Press Country of Publication: United Kingdom Weight: 279g ISBN:9781009558945 ISBN 10: 1009558943 Series:Elements in Political Philosophy Pages: 78 Publication Date:19 March 2026 Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format:Hardback Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction: the project of political ethics; 1. Political realism; 2. Public choice theory; 3. Dirty hands; 4. Political corruption; 5. Political compromise; Conclusion; Bibliography.
