View the Table of Contents.

"Both of the authors bring great depth of knowledge in the history of political thought to the writing of this book."
--Rex Martin, author of "A System of Rights"

"Illustrates the authors' obvious knowledge of a wide range of political thought, from the ancient to the contemporary."
--Iain Mackenzie, author of "Political Ideologies"

An Introduction to Political Thought emphasizes a dual approach to political theory by providing a chronological overview of both major figures and texts as well as an understanding of the development of key concepts and themes. In this way the authors provide a basic sense of the history and development of political thought and a critical grasp of the theoretical and philosophical issues at the heart of politics.

Beginning with the idea that laws and constitutions are only beneficial insofar as they give effective expression to our moral and political beliefs, the authors argue that moral and political ideas are the foundations of politics. Political philosophers covered in depth include: Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Marx, Bentham, Rawls, and Burke. Key concepts such as the moral order, liberty, human nature, freedom, the social contract, distributive justice, liberalism, socialism, feminism, human rights, and multiculturalism are also all covered. In exploring these issues the authors offer a critical guide through key arguments in the history of political thought and contemporary political theory.

An ideal new multi-disciplinary volume for students and scholars of philosophy, contemporary political theory, and international relations.

This volume offers key insights into the work of the chief figures in the contemporary debate surrounding thin universalism and presents a usefully themed contribution to the secondary literature on the work of Onora Oa (TM)Neill, John Rawls, Michael Walzer, Martha Nussbaum, Stuart Hampshire and others as well as a commentary on contemporary debates surrounding human rights and distributive justice. This new book enables the reader to strongly grasp all the core debates in contemporary normative theory.

Political Constructivism is concerned with the justification of principles of political justice in the face of pluralism. Contemporary accounts of multiculturalism, pluralism and diversity have challenged the capacity of political theory to impartially justify principles of justice beyond the boundaries of particular communities.

In this original account, Peri Roberts argues that political constructivism defends a conception of objective and universal principles that set normative limits to justifiable political practice. Political Constructivism explores this understanding in two ways. Firstly, by engaging with constructivist thinkers such as John Rawls and Onora O Neill in order to lay out a basic understanding of what constructivism is. Secondly, the author goes on to defend a particular account of political constructivism that justifies a universal primary constructivism alongside the many secondary constructions in which we live our everyday lives. In doing so he outlines an understanding of principled pluralism which accepts diversity whilst at the same time recognising its limits.

This volume will be of particular interest to students and researchers of political theory and political philosophy.

Political Constructivism is concerned with the justification of principles of political justice in the face of pluralism. Contemporary accounts of multiculturalism, pluralism and diversity have challenged the capacity of political theory to impartially justify principles of justice beyond the boundaries of particular communities. In this original account, Peri Roberts argues that political constructivism defends a conception of objective and universal principles that set normative limits to justifiable political practice. Political Constructivism explores this understanding in two ways. Firstly, by engaging with constructivist thinkers such as John Rawls and Onora O'Neill in order to lay out a basic understanding of what constructivism is. Secondly, the author goes on to defend a particular account of political constructivism that justifies a universal primary constructivism alongside the many secondary constructions in which we live our everyday lives. In doing so he outlines an understanding of principled pluralism which accepts diversity whilst at the same time recognising its limits. This volume will be of particular interest to students and researchers of political theory and political philosophy.

An ideal new multi-disciplinary volume for students and scholars of philosophy, contemporary political theory, and international relations.

This volume offers key insights into the work of the chief figures in the contemporary debate surrounding thin universalism and presents a usefully themed contribution to the secondary literature on the work of Onora Oa (TM)Neill, John Rawls, Michael Walzer, Martha Nussbaum, Stuart Hampshire and others as well as a commentary on contemporary debates surrounding human rights and distributive justice. This new book enables the reader to strongly grasp all the core debates in contemporary normative theory.

View the Table of Contents.

"Both of the authors bring great depth of knowledge in the history of political thought to the writing of this book."
--Rex Martin, author of "A System of Rights"

"Illustrates the authors' obvious knowledge of a wide range of political thought, from the ancient to the contemporary."
--Iain Mackenzie, author of "Political Ideologies"

An Introduction to Political Thought emphasizes a dual approach to political theory by providing a chronological overview of both major figures and texts as well as an understanding of the development of key concepts and themes. In this way the authors provide a basic sense of the history and development of political thought and a critical grasp of the theoretical and philosophical issues at the heart of politics.

Beginning with the idea that laws and constitutions are only beneficial insofar as they give effective expression to our moral and political beliefs, the authors argue that moral and political ideas are the foundations of politics. Political philosophers covered in depth include: Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Marx, Bentham, Rawls, and Burke. Key concepts such as the moral order, liberty, human nature, freedom, the social contract, distributive justice, liberalism, socialism, feminism, human rights, and multiculturalism are also all covered. In exploring these issues the authors offer a critical guide through key arguments in the history of political thought and contemporary political theory.

New for this edition * New chapter on international political thought This textbook gives you all the vocabulary you need -- political, conceptual and historical -- to engage confidently and deeply with political thought and the moral and political worlds in which we live. It traces the history of political thought from Plato and Aristotle to Benhabib and Rorty, following a unique dual structure that introduces key thinkers and core concepts. Topics covered include: Universal moral order o liberty o political freedom o the state o socialism o utilitarianism o distributive justice o group politics o multiculturalism o international political theory o conservatism o feminism o postmodernism o global justice Thinkers covered include: Plato o Aristotle o Hobbes o Locke o Rousseau o Marx o Bentham o Rawls o Nozick o Walzer o Kymlicka o Parekh o Pogge o Hume o Burke o Oakeshott o Benhabib o Phillips o Modood o Rorty

This title explores the actual and possible roles of evil in current-day international politics. Politicians and the press exploit the rhetorical strength of the word 'evil' in phrases such as 'evil regimes' or 'Axis of Evil'. But does it have any role in political theory? The contributors to this volume systematically explore the competing definitions of 'evil' and make sense of the political spin to discover how evil has shaped our judgements in humanitarian international law, post-conflict situations and the notion of forgiveness. They find suprising agreement in modern cultures on the evils that confront human communities - genocide, torture, slavery. It is here, where our tolerance reaches breaking point, that the concept of evil can be applied. It shows the usefulness of the concept of evil in the development of humanitarian international law, theorising post-conflict situations, the notion of forgiveness and making sense of political spin.

New for this edition * New chapter on international political thought This textbook gives you all the vocabulary you need -- political, conceptual and historical -- to engage confidently and deeply with political thought and the moral and political worlds in which we live. It traces the history of political thought from Plato and Aristotle to Benhabib and Rorty, following a unique dual structure that introduces key thinkers and core concepts. Topics covered include: Universal moral order o liberty o political freedom o the state o socialism o utilitarianism o distributive justice o group politics o multiculturalism o international political theory o conservatism o feminism o postmodernism o global justice Thinkers covered include: Plato o Aristotle o Hobbes o Locke o Rousseau o Marx o Bentham o Rawls o Nozick o Walzer o Kymlicka o Parekh o Pogge o Hume o Burke o Oakeshott o Benhabib o Phillips o Modood o Rorty

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

What role should the idea of evil have in contemporary moral and social thought? The concept of 'evil' has long been a key idea in moral discourse. Now, the contributors to this volume make a start on the important task of systematically exploring evil in the context of political theory. Intuitively, we know what evil means. Yet once we begin to think about its meaning we quickly uncover competing definitions. In recent years, political theorists have generally set the concept aside as outdated or inappropriate. Yet the idea that some things are wrong beyond toleration still has significant currency. If 'evil' can capture that significance, it merits a closer look. Key Features: * Presents a broad ranging exploration of the idea of evil in contemporary theory * Offers a philosophical analysis of the role of evil in ethics * Analyses the idea of evil in classic arguments