Continuum's "Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to classic works of philosophy. Each book explores the major themes, historical and philosophical context and key passages of a major philosophical text, guiding the reader toward a thorough understanding of often demanding material. Ideal for undergraduate students, the guides provide an essential resource for anyone who needs to get to grips with a philosophical text. John Locke's "Essay Concerning Human Understanding" is a classic text, which laid out the basic principles of the Empiricism that was to characterise British Philosophy for centuries to come. This is a hugely important and exciting, yet challenging, piece of philosophical writing. In "Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding: A Reader's Guide", Bill Uzgalis explains the philosophical background against which the book was written and the key themes inherent in the text. The book then guides the reader to a clear understanding of the text as a whole, before exploring the reception and influence of this classic philosophical work. This is the ideal companion to study of this most influential and challenging of texts.

This volume provides a collection of recent essays that address a wide variety of moral concerns regarding slavery as an institutionalized social practice. Over half of the essays present novel interpretations of Aristotle and of Enlightenment views. In some cases explicit comparisons are drawn between the arguments given by former slaves and certain political theories that may have influenced them. By considering the slave's critical appropriation of the natural rights doctrine, the ambiguous implications of various notions of consent and liberty are examined. The authors assume that, although slavery is undoubtedly an evil social practice, its moral assessment stands in need of a more nuanced treatment. They address the question of what is wrong with slavery by critically examining, and in some cases endorsing, certain principles derived from communitarianism, paternalism, utilitarianism, and jurisprudence. This volume provides a collection of recent essays by today's most innovative social thinkers. Anita Allen, Bernard Boxhill, Joshua Cohen, R.M. Hare, Bill Lawson, Tommy Lott, Howard McGary, Julius Moravesik, Laurence Thomas, William Uzgalis, Julie Ward, Bernard Williams, and Cynthia Wilett address a wide variety of moral concerns regarding slavery as an institutionalized social practice.

Continuum's "Reader's Guides" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to classic works of philosophy. Each book explores the major themes, historical and philosophical context and key passages of a major philosophical text, guiding the reader toward a thorough understanding of often demanding material. Ideal for undergraduate students, the guides provide an essential resource for anyone who needs to get to grips with a philosophical text. John Locke's "Essay Concerning Human Understanding" is a classic text, which laid out the basic principles of the Empiricism that was to characterise British Philosophy for centuries to come. This is a hugely important and exciting, yet challenging, piece of philosophical writing. In "Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding: A Reader's Guide", Bill Uzgalis explains the philosophical background against which the book was written and the key themes inherent in the text. The book then guides the reader to a clear understanding of the text as a whole, before exploring the reception and influence of this classic philosophical work. This is the ideal companion to study of this most influential and challenging of texts.