Cooke offers a clear and cogent articulation of a central problem in critical theory and a concrete, detailed, and imaginative proposal for how to reconcile it. Her scholarship is of the highest level. This is a really fine piece of work that will make a significant contribution to the field.
Amy R. Allen, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Women's and Gender Studies, Dartmouth College
With forceful logic and pellucid prose, Maeve Cooke has produced a major reconstruction of critical theory. She explains how abstract utopias must be symbolically interpreted in emotionally compelling, concrete forms. She has built a philosophical bridge across which rationalist philosophers and cultural theorists can walk, encounter one another, and develop mutual understandings.
Jeffrey C. Alexander, Lillian chavenson Saden Professor of Sociology and Codirector, Center for Cultural Sociology, Yale University
In his stimulating study, Maeve Cooke passionately defends a democratic critical social theory that negotiates between snesitivity to historical context and the demand for 'context-transcending validity.' She presents a powerful vision of the ideal of a Good Society that can orient our praxis. This book ought to be consulted by anyone concerned with the current viability of critical social theory.
Richard J. Bernstein, Vera List Professor of Philosophy, New School University