An incisive argument for the relevance of political philosophy and its possibility of effecting change.

The appeal of political philosophy is that it will answer questions about justice for the sake of political action. But contemporary political philosophy struggles to live up to this promise. Since the death of John Rawls, political philosophers have become absorbed in methodological debates, leading to an impasse between two unattractive tendencies: utopians argue that philosophy should focus uncompromisingly on abstract questions of justice, while pragmatists argue that we should concern ourselves only with local efforts to ameliorate injustice. Agents of Change shows a way forward.

Ben Laurence argues that we can combine utopian justice and the pragmatic response to injustice in a political philosophy that unifies theory and practice in pursuit of change. Political philosophy, on this view, is not a purely normative theory disconnected from practice. Rather, political philosophy is itself a practice—an exercise of practical reason issuing in action. Laurence contends that this exercise begins in ordinary life with the confrontation with injustice. Philosophy draws ideas about justice from this encounter to be pursued through political action. Laurence shows that the task of political philosophy is not complete until it asks the question “What is to be done?” and deliberates actionable answers.

"Agents of Change is an engaging and original contribution to contemporary debate in the methodology of political philosophy." - Philosophical Quarterly

"Laurence defends the Rawlsian idea that political philosophers should proffer ‘realistically utopian’ theories of justice…A thorough discussion full of distinctive ideas that repay careful consideration." - Review of Politics

"In Agents of Change, Ben Laurence tackles the enduring tension between utopian and practical theories of justice…Drawing from Kantian thought, he highlights the importance of addressing injustice and the rights of resistance in defining just relations among equals." - Contemporary Political Theory