CHOICE July 2014 vol. 51 no. 11
51-6425
JF229 2012-45392 CIP
Cameron, Maxwell. Strong constitutions:
social-cognitive origins of the separation of powers. Oxford, 2013. 255p
bibl index afp ISBN 9780199987443,
$65.00
In
this imaginative and readable book, Cameron (Univ. of British Columbia)
provides a learned defense of the separation of powers. While not disputing the
importance of the separation of powers as a source of restraint in democratic
theory, the author contends that the concept allows for collective action,
which can promote and sustain democratic regimes. Other conceptions of the
separation of powers are integrated into his critique, as well as the
importance of divided power in promoting the survival of any government. The
separation of powers, if rightly understood, actually strengthens regimes. The
refinement of democratic institutions is also based on the
"social-cognitive" aspects of politics, especially the use of
language that encourages "collective organization." The value of a
written constitution is yet another extension of this analysis. Other factors
in addition to language, including collective bargaining and
"democratized" technologies, can aid the evolution of the
"social-cognitive" contribution to the separation of powers. For the
nonspecialist, the book also contains many useful assessments of a wide range
of political thinkers, from Aristotle to F. A. Hayek. The tome is one of the
most insightful defenses of the separation of powers to appear in many years. Summing
Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and
research collections.
--H. L. Cheek Jr., East Georgia State
College
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