Francis Fukuyama and the End of History
Language: English
Genre(s): Politics
Series: Political Philosophy Now
Hardback - 9780708314272 Hardback - 9781783168767 Paperback - 9780708314289 eBook - epub - 9781783168781 eBook - mobi - 9781783168798 eBook - pdf - 9781783168774
About The Book
Fukuyama’s concept of the End of History has been one of the most widely debated theories of international politics since the end of the Cold War. This book discusses Fukuyama’s claim that liberal democracy alone is able to satisfy the human aspiration for freedom and dignity, and explores the way in which his thinking is part of a philosophical tradition which includes Kant, Hegel and Marx. Two new chapters in this second edition discuss the ways in which Fukuyama’s thinking has developed – they include his celebrated and controversial criticism of neoconservatism and his complex intellectual relationship to Samuel Huntington, whose Clash of Civilization thesis he rejects but whose notion of political decay is central to his more recent work. The authors here argue that Fukuyama’s continuing fundamental contributions to debates concerning the spread of democracy and threat of global terror mark him out as one of the most important thinkers of the twenty-first century.
Endorsements
‘This engaging second edition – which includes new material – contextualizes Fukuyama within the broader trends of “the philosophy of history”, including such seminal giants in the field as Kant, Hegel and Marx. The authors argue clearly and insightfully in favour of Fukuyama’s relevance –perhaps under-appreciated in the academy – as well as for the timeliness of his ideas. The new material features Fukuyama’s contributions over the past decade, moving from “the end of history” and debates over “the clash of civilizations” towards present-day concerns with the complex ingredients of nation-building and the unsure fate of liberal-democratic values.’
– Professor Brian Orend, University of Waterloo, Ontario.