The Conduct of Politics

Do politicians have to get dirty hands - and what does that mean? Is it okay to be corrupt, when corruption is systemic? When is it a good thing to make compromises in politics? These are questions about political conduct that are raised in political ethics, a somewhat underappreciated subfield of political philosophy. This Element offers a fresh, systematic introduction to political ethics. It starts with a discussion of two challenges to the discipline: One comes from political realists who reject moralism in political philosophy and the other from public choice theorists who model politicians as rational egoists. It then discusses the problem of dirty hands, political corruption, and political compromise as three core topics of political ethics.

Author: Fabian Wendt
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 03/19/2026
Series: Elements in Political Philosophy
Pages: 78
Weight: 0.26lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.16d
ISBN: 9781009558969