This volume investigates the fundamental tension between the autonomy of the individual self and the influence of social and cultural attachments on human behavior. Editors Shlomo Avineri and Avner de-Shalit curate a collection of seminal essays that examine whether the State possesses the legitimacy to promote a specific conception of the good. By drawing on a diverse range of political philosophers, the text provides a rigorous framework for evaluating the competing claims of communitarian and individualist ideologies.

Reader & Expert Consensus: Experts recognize this volume as a foundational resource for students and scholars of political philosophy. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the high caliber of the contributors included in the collection.