Liberal Democracy and Capitalist Hegemony: A Reply to Leo Panitch on the Task of Socialist Political Theory

Abstract

I want to take up again the question: What is the task of socialist political theory? Having said this, I should add that this will involve first, another fairly long discussion of Macpherson before I move on to other matters. There is, as I said the first time, a large and important area of political theory which socialists have left for Macpherson to deal with virtually alone. It is, therefore, impossible to take up these aspects of political theory from a socialist point of view without coming to terms with Macpherson. Any attempt to build on the ground he has broken is likely to proceed as if it were a personal encounter, a dispute, with him. This is what it means to be the major reference-point in a debate.