Frank Cunningham examines a selection of contested questions of political theory and methodology pertinent to the relationship of democracy and socialism. A central section of the book addresses contemporary debates over the nature of socialism, communitarianism, and philosophical foundationism from the point of view of democratic theory. Within this context, Cunningham also discusses that about Marxism which survives - and that which fails to survive - the collapse of authoritarian socialism. The work concludes by discussing the practical political potentials of the new social movements and by making some prescriptions with respect to global ecological stability.

Author Biography

Frank Cunningham is Professor and former Chair in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. Cunningham is also the author of Objectivity in Social Science (1973), Understanding Marxism: A Canadian Introduction (1977), and Democratic Theory and Socialism (1987).