Rights, Democracy, and Fulfillment in the Era of Identity
Politics: Principled Compromises in a Compromised World. By David
Ingram. New York: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2004. 280p. $70.00
cloth, $27.95 paper.
David Ingram situates his work within the tradition of critical
social theory and traces its normative impulse to the young Marx's
aspiration for human fulfillment. However, in order to avoid the trap
of utopianism, he adopts a pragmatic attitude and highlights the
importance of compromises. At the same time, by remaining cognizant of
the price paid for normative compromises, he is able to maintain his
pragmatic attitude without losing sight of the aspiration for human
fulfillment and perfectibility that inspires his work.