The problem of value pluralism permeates modern political philosophy. Its presence can be felt even when it is not explicitly the central topic under investigation. Political thinkers such as Max Weber, Isaiah Berlin and Stuart Hampshire derive pessimistic, sometimes tragic, conclusions from their reflections upon pluralism. On the other hand, there is a more optimistic view represented by John Rawls and Jürgen Habermas that sees value pluralism as a problem that is easier to live with.

The debate about value pluralism illustrates a deep disagreement about the nature of politics and of political theory. The hitherto dominant view that favors the search for stability, agreement, and reconciliation has increasingly been challenged by recognition of the permanence of pluralism and of endemic disagreement as an
unavoidable component of the political condition.

This book presents the first accessible overview of the way in which this problem has been understood and responded to by modern political thinkers.