The Political Theory of Modus Vivendi

This book focuses on the idea of a modus vivendi as a way of governing political life and addressing problems characterized by pluralism or deep-rooted diversity. The individual essays illustrate both the merits and the limitations of a political theory of modus vivendi; how it might be interpreted and developed; specific challenges entailed by articulating it in a convincing form; what its institutional implications might be; and how it relates to other seminal issues and concepts in political theory, such as legitimacy, toleration, the social contract, etc., with its relationship to liberal theory being of particular concern. The book makes a significant contribution to the discussion on how to deal politically with deep-rooted diversity, and on the scope and limits of liberal political theory.