This text considers how a host of ethical traditions define civil society. It considers a range of traditions, including libertarianism, critical theory, Islam and Judaism, and to the extent which they agree or disagree on how to define civil society's limits and evaluate it's benefits and harms.

An excellent starting point for a comparative ethics of civil society, this book concludes that while the concept of civil society originated in the liberal tradition, it is quickly becoming an important focus for a truly cross-cultural dialogue