Introduction: The substantive unity of Michael Walzer’s pluralism

In the summer of 2008, Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Studies and the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs convened a conference in recognition of Michael Walzer’s contribution to the ethical and political thought of the twentieth century. Entitled Justice, Culture and Tradition, this two-day event saw over 20 speakers expound their unique perspective on particular aspects of Walzer’s corpus.2 The present book draws primarily on essays offered there, augmented by several others – all of which were written especially for it. We feel extremely fortunate to have been able to put together such a distinctive tribute to the achievements of such a singular thinker.