Political Philosophy

Both a history and an examination of human thought and behavior spanning three thousand years, On Politics thrillingly traces the origins of political philosophy from the ancient Greeks to Machiavelli in Book I and from Hobbes to the present age in Book II. Whether examining Lord Acton's dictum that "absolute power corrupts absolutely" or explicating John Stuart Mill's contention that it is "better to be a human dissatisfied than a pig satisfied," Alan Ryan evokes the lives and minds of our greatest thinkers in a way that makes hearing about them a transcendent experience.

This audio course examines the major periods in the history of Western political thought and questions the political and social order. It considers the ways in which thinkers have responded to the particular political problems of their day, and the ways in which they contribute to a broader conversation about human goods and needs, justice, democracy, and the proper relationship of the individual to the state. One aim will be to understand the strengths and weaknesses of various regimes and philosophical approaches in order to gain a critical perspective on our own.

This Very Short Introduction introduces listeners to the key concepts of political philosophy: authority, democracy, freedom and its limits, justice, feminism, multiculturalism, and nationality. Accessible and assuming no previous knowledge of the subject, it encourages the listener to think clearly and critically about the leading political questions of our time. Miller first investigates how political philosophy tackles basic ethical questions such as "how should we live together in society?"

Hannah Arendt's penetrating observations on the modern world, based on a profound knowledge of the past, have been fundamental to our understanding of our political landscape. On Revolution is her classic exploration of a phenomenon that has reshaped the globe. From the 18th-century rebellions in America and France to the explosive changes of the 20th century, Arendt traces the changing face of revolution and its relationship to war while underscoring the crucial role such events will play in the future.

A wide-ranging and up-to-date survey of the leading ideas and debates in political philosophy.

This book provides a complete overview of the American Founders' political theory, covering natural rights, natural law, state of nature, social compact, consent, and the policy implications of these ideas. The book is intended as a response to the current scholarly consensus, which holds that the Founders' political thought is best understood as an amalgam of liberalism, republicanism, and perhaps other traditions.

The stuff of conspiracy theories makes for great, entertaining stories in movies, books, and television. And there is no shortage of subjects: from who really killed JFK to the truth behind 9/11. And then, there are subjects from alien invasions to the Moon landing was simulated - theories that are truly out of this world, which according to some, is flat. Many of these crazy concepts have jumped off the pages or screens to become so pervasive in our culture that thousands - even millions - subscribe to them as reality.

Tired of the endless political noise? Are you exhausted by the partisan spin that seems to arm everyone with talking points but starves them of principles? The American Promise is not another voice in the choir. It is a different instrument entirely—a tool designed to silence the noise and amplify the signal. This is Volume 1 of the groundbreaking U.S. Constitution: Our Common Ground series, a citizen's guide that systematically strips away modern commentary and emotional rhetoric to return to the foundational texts of our republic. This volume, Foundations of the Republic, is built on a ...

Discover where you really stand—and why others see the world so differently Tired of being squeezed into "left" or "right"? You're not alone. Most of us hold views that don't fit neatly on a single line—supporting strong public services but also tough action on crime, backing free enterprise while defending civil liberties, championing economic freedom while worrying about surveillance. Beyond Left and Right introduces a revolutionary new way to understand political beliefs: the Political Circle. Instead of forcing complex views onto a single spectrum, it maps political thought across ...

En noviembre de 1847 la Liga de los Comunistas encargó a unos aún veinteañeros Karl Marx y Friedrich Engels la redacción de un programa detallado del partido, destinado a la población general. El resultado, publicado pocos meses después, fue un texto que el tiempo ha convertido en icónico, citado y parafraseado mil veces, en el que resuenan como martillazos, párrafos enteros sobre la crisis, la globalización o la lucha de clases, muchos de los cuales no han perdido un ápice de su vigencia. Un documento histórico, en suma, que brilla con luz propia.

Why do systems created to help us so often end up ruling us? The Architecture of Obedience is a clear-eyed work of political philosophy and social theory that examines how authority forms, stabilizes, and sustains itself across religion, politics, markets, expertise, and science. Rather than blaming corruption or bad intentions, it reveals a more unsettling truth: obedience emerges from structure itself. Across history, meaning has repeatedly been organized into institutions. Coordination hardens into hierarchy. Narratives become doctrine. Tools turn into commands. What begins as a way to ...

What would Machiavelli say about Trump's America First? How would he judge Putin's wars in Ukraine? What would he make of Xi Jinping's China and the collapse of Venezuela under Maduro? Five hundred years after The Prince, the fundamental questions about power remain unchanged: How is it seized? How is it held? What brings it down? In this incisive work of political philosophy, Henry Bugalho—translator of Machiavelli and scholar of contemporary political movements—applies the Florentine's timeless framework to the defining power struggles of our era: Trump and the weaponization of ...

The global political climate is dynamic, at times even volatile. To understand this evolving landscape, it's important to learn more about how countries are governed. Political Science for Dummies explores the questions that political scientists examine, such as how our leaders make decisions, who shapes political policy, and why countries go to war. The book is the perfect course supplement for students taking college-level introductory political-science courses.

In this timely new edition of his classic book A Political Philosophy, celebrated conservative philosopher Roger Scruton interrogates contemporary values, virtues and morality. What principles should govern our relations to animals, the nation state, the environment and other ways of life? What does modern marriage look like? What is Enlightenment, and how has its inheritance made itself known? How should we approach religion, evil and death? What explains the rise of totalitarianism, and how should we respond to nihilism?

A Science-Based Approach to Fixing Our Political System How can We the People stop hating each other, have productive conversations, and actually get things done? If you’ve caught even a glimpse of cable news lately, you might be convinced that the end of democracy is just around the corner. And whether your political views fall on the left, right, or somewhere in the middle, there’s a good chance at least some part of your life has been negatively impacted by politics. The fictional narrative that Americans are divided up into red and blue has led to mistrust and disgust even though we...

Why do the British think the way they do? Why does Britain value order over upheaval, tradition over revolution, restraint over emotional display, and skepticism over sweeping certainty? These traits did not emerge by accident. They are the result of centuries of philosophical selection, where certain ideas rose, endured, and quietly shaped a nation’s collective mind. The British Mind: How Philosophy Shaped a Nation explores how philosophical ideas moved beyond books and universities to become embedded in British institutions, culture, law, and everyday behavior. Rather than treating ...

In the 1960s and early '70s, the most prominent, vocal cultural movement was the New Left: a movement that condemned America and everything it stood for: individualism, material wealth, science, technology, capitalism.

Building Freedom Together: Understanding the Concept of the Open Society explores one of the most vital ideas in modern history—the vision of a society built on openness, accountability, and human dignity. From its philosophical roots in ancient Athens and the Enlightenment to Karl Popper’s powerful defense during the turmoil of the twentieth century, the open society represents a commitment to freedom, pluralism, and resilience. This engaging book examines the principles that make openness possible, including freedom of expression, democracy, education, transparency, economic ...

Following a remarkable epoch of greater dispersion of wealth and opportunity, we are inexorably returning towards a more feudal era marked by greater concentration of wealth and property, reduced upward mobility, demographic stagnation, and increased dogmatism. If the last 70 years saw a massive expansion of the middle class, not only in America but in much of the developed world, today that class is declining and a new, more hierarchical society is emerging. The new class structure resembles that of Medieval times.

In the years between her first public lecture in 1961 and her last in 1981, Ayn Rand spoke and wrote about topics as different as education, medicine, Vietnam, and the death of Marilyn Monroe. In The Voice of Reason, these pieces are gathered together in book form for the first time. Written in the last decades of Rand's life, they reflect a life lived on principle, a probing mind, and a passionate intensity. With them are five essays by Leonard Peikoff, Rand's longtime associate and literary executor.