Political Extremism and Rationality

Erscheinungsjahr 2015
ISBN: 978-0-521-80441-7
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 262 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 584 g

Political extremism is widely considered to be the product of irrational behavior. The distinguishing feature of this collection by well-known economists and political scientists from North America, Europe and Australia is to propose a variety of explanations which all insist on the rationality of extremism. Contributors use variants of this approach to shed light on subjects such as the conditions under which democratic parties take extremist positions, the relationship between extremism and conformism, the strategies adopted by revolutionary movements, and the reasons why extremism often leads to violence. The authors identify four core issues in the study of the phenomenon: the nature (definition) of extremism and its origins in both democratic and authoritarian settings, the capacity of democratic political systems to accommodate extremist positions, the strategies (civil disobedience, assassination, lynching) chosen by extremist groups, and the circumstances under which extremism becomes a threat to democracy.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Breton, Albert

Galeotti, Gianluigi

Salmon, Pierre

Wintrobe, Ronald

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Politische Soziologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Ideologien Faschismus, Rechtsextremismus
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Theorie, Politische Philosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Sozialphilosophie, Politische Philosophie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Kultur Politische Soziologie und Psychologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Part I. Extremism and Rationality: 1. Crippled epistemology and extremism Russell Hardin; 2. Leadership and passion in extremist politics Ronald Wintrobe; 3. Information control, loss of autonomy, and the emergence of political extremism Albert Breton and Silvana Dalmazzone; Part II. Extremism in Constitutional Democracies: 4. Extremism and monomania Pierre Salmon; 5. Some democratic propensities for extreme results Geoffrey Brennan; 6. Strategic positioning and campaigning Amihai Glazer; 7. At the outskirts of the constitution Gianluigi Galeotti; 8. Is democracy an antidote to extremism? Harold Hochman; Part III. Extremism in Non-Democratic Settings: 9. The political life cycle of extremist organizations Mario Ferrero; 10. Rationally violent tactics: evidence from Modern Islamic Fundamentalism Luisa Giurato and Maria Cristina Molinari; 11. De Bello Omnium (i) Contra Omnes Guido Ortona.