The resultant understanding of political freedom therefore defends a distinction between political and personal freedom and separates the idea of political freedom from the individualism with which it is normally associated in most philosophical literature.

Chapter 1. Introduction: The Good of Freedom.- Chapter 2. Agency and Social Ontology.- Chapter 3. The Metaphysics of Social Being.- Chapter 4. Personal Freedom: The Action Model.- Chapter 5. Personal Freedom: The Culture Model.- Chapter 6. Political Freedom.- Chapter 7. Political Freedom and Social Justice

The purpose of this work is to discuss and explain the nature of political freedom. The approach is interdisciplinary, drawing from social theory, history, and law, as well as philosophy and political theory. The argument presented defends a view of political freedom as a social norm that has gained great prominence in those places where it has emerged through time as a social mechanism that supports social order and brings security to social life. Regarded as a social norm, political freedom promotes the toleration of the religious, cultural, ideological, and moral differences that generate normative conflict throughout society. The resultant understanding of political freedom therefore defends a distinction between political and personal freedom and separates the idea of political freedom from the individualism with which it is normally associated in most philosophical literature. The argument also indicates why it is appropriate to regard political freedom as a central virtue of social justice.

​Craig L. Carr is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the Hatfield School of Government, Portland State University, USA.

"In Political Freedom, Carr develops a challenging and original theory of political liberty as a socially embedded normative phenomenon. Liberals, republicans, and communitarians alike will discover a wealth of important insights—and provocations—in Carr’s work." —Daniel Layman, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Davidson College, USA

Enters a colloquy composed of various theoretical viewpoints on the philosophical/theoretical literature on political freedom Openly challenges the dominant individualist views, and by extension Pettit’s republicanism Elaborates upon a normative dimension to the notion of political freedom that is not presently fully appreciated by more sociological encounters with the subject

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