Compromise, Peace and Public Justification

This book explores the morality of compromising. The author argues that peace and public justification are values that provide moral reasons to make compromises in politics, including compromises that establish unjust laws or institutions. He explains how it is possible to have moral reasons to agree to moral compromises and he debates our moral duties and obligations in making such compromises. The book also contains discussions of the sources of the value of public justification, the relation between peace and justice, the nature of modus vivendi arrangements and the connections between compromise, liberal institutions and legitimacy. In exploring the morality of compromising, the book thus provides some outlines for a map of political morality beyond justice.

“This bold and persuasive book takes the moral dimension of political conflict seriously and grounds Modus Vivendi politics on a deeper account of the morality of compromise. This is a real achievement, one that significantly advances our understanding of peace, public justification and the limits of justice.” (Steven Wall, University of Arizona, USA)

“In this important new book, Fabian Wendt explores some neglected features of ‘political morality beyond justice’; and in particular the role of peace and public justification in the grounding of political compromises. In doing so, he develops a sophisticated theoretical account of political compromises, and convincingly shows how and why compromising with justice is sometimes justified. The book is essential reading for anyone interested in the political morality of compromising.” (John Horton, Keele University, UK)

“Fabian Wendt’s book is a timely and important contribution to the debates about morally rifted societies. Whereas many of the main theories in the literature embrace highly moralized conceptions of virtues such as toleration and regard consensus as an appropriate ideal of social and political debate, Wendt presents a bracing alternative that emphasizes the importance of peace and the need for compromise.” (Daniel Weinstock, McGill University, Canada)

Fabian Wendt is a Temporary Professor of Philosophy at Bielefeld University, Germany. He has previously been an Assistant Professor at the University of Hamburg, Germany, and a visiting scholar at the University of Arizona, USA.