The Structure of Pluralism: On the Authority of Associations. By Victor M Muniz-FraticelliRationalism, Pluralism & Freedom. By Jacob T Levy

The word ‘pluralism’ has, in recent times, been hollowed out to such an extent that it has become virtually synonymous with ‘diversity’. Declaring oneself a pluralist is now a very good way to signal one’s progressive credentials through a vague commitment to plurality for its own sake, usually with regard to the various religions and cultural communities existing within modern society. In short, pluralism can mean virtually anything you want it to mean and as such it means very little. Yet this was not always so, as amply demonstrated by two clear-minded new books published by Oxford University Press which do much to cut through the platitudes and give pluralism back some precision and substance. Victor Muniz-Fraticelli’s The Structure of Pluralism: On the Authority of Associations (SP) sets out to account for the simultaneous unity and plurality of modern society whilst reconstructing pluralism as a distinct, comprehensive, and viable political tradition.