Beyond Left and Right (PDF)

How should one understand the nature and possibilities of political
radicalism today? The political radical is normally thought of as
someone who stands on the left, opposing backward-looking
conservatism. In the present day, however, the left has turned
defensive, while the right has become radical, advocating the free
play of market forces no matter what obstacles of tradition or
custom stand in their way.

What explains such a curious twist of perspective? In answering
this question Giddens develops a new framework for radical
politics, drawing freely on what he calls "philosophic
conservatism", but applying this outlook in the service of values
normally associated with the Left. The ecological crisis is at the
core of this analysis, but is understood by Giddens in an
unconventional way - as a response to a world in which modernity
has run up against its limits as a social and moral order. The end
of nature, as an entity existing independently of human
intervention, and the end of tradition, combined with the impact of
globalization, are the forces which now have to be confronted, made
use of and coped with.

This book provides a powerful interpretation of the rise of
fundamentalism, of democracy, the persistence of gender divisions
and the question of a normative political theory of violence. It
will be essential reading for anyone seeking a novel approach to
the political challenges which we face at the turn of the
twenty-first century.