Ryder develops a detailed and tightly reasoned pragmatic alternative to political philosophies constructed on left/right/center and liberal/anti-liberal assumptions. His innovative approach is pluralistic and ecumenical. He urges consensus-building motivated not by what people think or believe, but by how their experiences shape their lives as individuals and members of communities. -- Larry A. Hickman, former director, Center for Dewey Studies, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA This is a radical exercise of the political imagination, in the sense that the author at every turn attempts to get to the root of the matter, digging deeper than any other contemporary theorist is disposed to do. John Ryder is unafraid to draw out disconcertingly novel implications from his historical observations and theoretical conclusions, to entertain utterly unorthodox possibilities. He does so in an historically informed, philosophically rigorous, and rhetorically engaging manner. This is a very serious and, in the best sense, disturbing work. His position does not neatly fit into any traditional categoryso much the worse for those categories, so much to the credit of this author. -- Vincent Colapietro, professor emeritus of philosophy, Pennsylvania State University, USA
