An Introduction to Political Philosophy

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Austrian-British philosopher Karl Popper’s The Open Society and Its Enemies, first published in 1945, is famous for skewering the politics of two highly-regarded philosophers who also appear on this list, Plato and Marx.

An introduction to political philosophy : Wolff, Jonathan An introduction to political philosophy : Wolff, Jonathan

Offering a uniquely policy-driven approach, Introducing Political Philosophy is the only text to showcase contemporary policy problems through the lens of key debates in political philosophy. The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” — so writes English philosopher Thomas Hobbes in his monumental 1651 epic, Leviathan. The doctrine that only the whole truth about everything is completely coherent, and therefore absolutely true. See Chapter XI below.

11. The Second Sex, by Simone de Beauvoir

Rawls argues most people would agree to basic healthcare, fairness, and so on — and uses this as his basis for his “justice as fairness” social contract whereby the state has an integral role to play in the lives of its citizens, which he builds upon in detail throughout this brilliant and significant work. An Introduction to Political Philosophy On the other hand, so long as the issue between Rationalism and Empiricism is left open, there is no reason why Rationalism should not be combined with a Naturalistic Theory of Morality. For then, even if moral conceptions can be defined in terms of non-moral conceptions, they may be necessarily related to the subject of the propositions in which they occur if it is possible for a proposition to be at once synthetic and a priori It is, indeed, quite consistent to combine either a Moral or a Naturalistic Theory of Morality with either a Rationalist or Empiricist Theory since the latter represent the alternative views which may be held about the logical status of moral propositions, while the former represent alternative views which may be held about the meaning of moral concepts. On the other hand, if Empiricists are right in holding that the basic premise of Rationalism—that synthetic propositions may be a priori—is self-contradictory., the rationalist form of both Moral and Naturalistic Theories is automatically ruled out, and the issue narrowed to a choice between the empiricist forms of the Moral and Naturalistic Theories. Political theories may therefore be broadly classified as follows: Rationalist Moral Furio Cerutti has written a wide-ranging and profound analysis of the nature, the purpose and the morality of politics. In a time of post-truth, fake news, and rising populism across the West he reminds us that the art of government must fail if it does not respect scientific knowledge, and that while it is prudence rather than theoretical knowledge which leads to good choices in politics, clear concepts and rational argumentation are still essential aids. A compelling read." - Professor Andrew Gamble, Emeritus Professor of Politics, University of Cambridge

Political Philosophy: An Introduction (Online) | Oxford

Each chapter, when accessed digitally, includes tutorial-style videos from the author to help students understand the key questions and controversies in political philosophy and encourage them to form their own opinion. An Introduction to Political Philosophy is a concise, lucid, and thought-provoking introduction to the most important questions of political philosophy, organised around the major issues. Wolff provides the structure that beginners need, whilst also introducing some distinctive ideas of his own. Exploring the institutions, operations, and techniques of totalitarian movements, Arendt’s 1951 The Origins of Totalitarianism focuses on two genuine forms of totalitarian government in our recent history — Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia — which she shrewdly establishes as two sides of the same coin, rather than opposing philosophies of Right and Left. The Graduate School exists to provide a stimulating and enriching environment for postgraduate students. Beauvoir dissects how “one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman” — shining a light on the negative fallout and injustices of stereotyped gender expectations.Manifesto of the Communist Party, p. 150 (Allen and Unwin, 1948). E.g. laws forbidding cruelty to animals.

Political Philosophy - Oxford University Press

An Introduction to Political Philosophy Rationalist and Empiricist Theories, and that this division reflects, and depends upon, the division betweenrationalistand empiricist theories of logic and knowledge. If this is so, nofinalanswer can be given to the questions of political philosophy without a decision on these broader issues, but a necessary and important task will have been accomplished if the problems of political philosophy are reduced to their ultimate and logical form.One of the earliest and most influential examples of social contract theory, Hobbes seeks to legitimize sovereign power by demonstrating that conflict among individuals is inevitable, and that peace can only be achieved if individuals give up certain freedoms to a central power (in Hobbes' case, the monarchy) in exchange for certain benefits, such as protection. What does a just society look like? What gives states legitimacy, and what level of authority should sovereign powers wield? What’s the best way to organize people? Is an ideal state possible? (Here’s Isaiah Berlin’s argument on why pursuing utopia is in fact dangerous). What purpose should society serve, if any? Where does tyranny or evil come from, and how can its emergence be stopped? Are we born with inherent human rights? If so, what are they? If not, what rights should be enshrined in law and why? This does not, of course, mean that experience can in practice ever provide a logically valid proof of the 'uniformity of Nature*, but only that experience never reveals anything which is inconsistent with the assumption of that principle. From short courses and training to flexible postgraduate programmes; update your skills, change career, or earn a qualification. Learn more about our CPD courses.

An Introduction to Political Philosophy

The course will provide an introduction to political philosophy by examining the justification of the state, problems democracy, liberty, justice, and feminist theory. By using this service, you agree that you will only keep content for personal use, and will not openly distribute them via Dropbox, Google Drive or other file sharing services If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Author Jonathan Wolff explores the subject through a series of enduring and timeless questions, jumping centuries and millennia to explore the most influential answers and demonstrate how political philosophy is relevant to contemporary issues.For example, whether or not 'the good' can be defined as 'the desired*, it is quite a distinct question whether a proposition such as 'Benevolence is good' is a priori or empirical. This second edition also goes beyond any other anthology on the market in its coverage of traditionally under-represented views such as libertarianism, neo-socialism, feminism, and critical race theory. And it is one of the only anthologies to go beyond A Theory of Justice in its coverage of the political thought of John Rawls. Publishers description: To investigate the imaginative leaps of so agile and incisive a mind as Machiavelli’s one needs as much commentary about history, political theory, sources, and language as possible. I have gradually come to realize that readers who remain unaware of these topics frequently finish reading The Prince, put down their copies, and wonder what the shouting was all about. Thus commented eminent Machiavelli scholar James B. Atkinson thirty years ago in justifying what remains today the most informative English-language edition of Machiavelli’s masterpiece available. From introductions and anthologies to grand political treatises from individual thinkers, this reading list is designed to provide you with a well-rounded view of the most important political contributions from philosophers down the ages. This course aims to introduce students to political philosophy especially in the western liberal tradition by: