Inventors of Ideas Introduction to Western Political Philosophy

by Tannenbaum, Donald; Schultz, David

• ISBN13: 9780534612634
• ISBN10: 0534612636
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-03-28
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

A concise yet comprehensive introduction to the Western political thought from the Ancient Greeks to the 21st century, INVENTORS OF IDEAS connects major thinkers' political and societal views to a larger understanding of current politics. Covering the traditional canon of writers while also reflecting a concern or emphasis upon the role of gender and science in western political thought, the book gives students practical and historical foundations with which to look at contemporary social and political issues.

Table of Contents

Preface	xv
About the Authors	xxi
Political Philosophy: Introducing the Challenge	1	(18)
Introduction	1	(1)
Origins of Western Political Thought	2	(1)
Common Treatment, Diverse Results	3	(2)
Comparing Political Philosophers	5	(3)
The Individual and the Collective	8	(1)
Family and Gender Roles	9	(2)
Comparison of Roles and Natures of Men and Women	9	(1)
Role of the Family in Political Thinking	10	(1)
Development of Political Philosophy over Time	11	(1)
Techniques for Reconciling Conflict between Beliefs	12	(2)
Descriptive and Prescriptive Statements	12	(1)
Concept Clarification	13	(1)
Conclusion	14	(2)
Notes	16	(1)
Additional Readings	17	(2)
Part One ANCIENT POLITICAL THOUGHT
The Playwrights of Athens: Sophocles and Aristophanes	19	(15)
Introduction	19	(2)
Antigone	21	(6)
Lysistrata	27	(4)
Conclusion	31	(1)
Notes	32	(1)
Additional Readings	33	(1)
Plato: Advocating Justice	34	(14)
Introduction	34	(2)
Plato's Method	36	(2)
Knowledge and Justice	38	(1)
Human Nature	38	(1)
The Ideal State	39	(4)
The Need for Specialization	39	(1)
Class Structure and Functions	40	(2)
Education and Censorship	42	(1)
The Role of Women	43	(1)
Inevitable Decline of the Ideal State	43	(1)
Conclusion	44	(1)
Notes	45	(2)
Additional Readings	47	(1)
Aristotle: Endorsing Community	48	(14)
Introduction	48	(1)
Aristotle's Method	49	(1)
Happiness, Values, and Human Nature	49	(1)
Political Economy	50	(1)
Community	51	(3)
Household, Wife, Woman, and Slave	52	(1)
Village	53	(1)
Polis	53	(1)
Political Form of the Polis	54	(3)
Political Change	57	(1)
Conclusion	58	(2)
Notes	60	(1)
Additional Readings	61	(1)
Cicero and Roman Political Thought: The Transformation of the Political	62	(12)
Introduction	62	(1)
Stoicism	63	(1)
Differences between Greek and Roman Political Thought	64	(2)
Cicero	66	(5)
The Commonwealth	67	(1)
Law and Justice	68	(1)
Public and Private Virtues	69	(2)
Conclusion	71	(1)
Notes	71	(2)
Additional Readings	73	(1)
Part Two MEDIEVAL POLITICAL THOUGHT
Paul and Augustine: Emergence of the Christian Political World	74	(15)
Introduction	74	(1)
Human Nature and Christian Equality	75	(1)
Rome and Christianity	76	(1)
St. Augustine and Transformation of Christian Politics	77	(5)
Adam, Eve, and Human Nature	78	(1)
Government and Political Order: Emergence of the Two Cities	79	(1)
Human Nature, History, and the True Republic	80	(2)
Implications of the Doctrine of the Two Cities	82	(1)
Faith versus Reason	82	(1)
Women, Family, and Sexual Desire	83	(2)
Conclusion	85	(1)
Notes	86	(1)
Additional Readings	87	(2)
The Contribution of Islam: John of Salisbury, Thomas Aquinas, and the Rise of the Medieval Political World	89	(15)
Introduction	89	(2)
Aristotle and the Arabic World	91	(2)
John of Salisbury	93	(2)
Aristotle and the Late Middle Ages	95	(1)
Thomas Aquinas	96	(4)
Human Nature and Society	96	(1)
Types of Law	97	(1)
Kingship, Tyranny, and the Family	98	(1)
Church-State Relations and Tolerance	99	(1)
Conclusion	100	(1)
Notes	101	(2)
Additional Readings	103	(1)
Dante and Marsilius: The End of Medieval Political Unity	104	(8)
Introduction	104	(1)
Dante	104	(3)
Human Nature	105	(1)
Political Society	105	(1)
Source of Secular Authority	106	(1)
Marsilius of Padua	107	(2)
Structure and Laws of the State	107	(1)
Church--State Conflict	108	(1)
Conclusion	109	(1)
Notes	110	(1)
Additional Readings	111	(1)
Part Three MODERN POLITICAL THOUGHT
Machiavelli: Escaping Anarchy	112	(21)
Introduction	112	(2)
Style, Substance, and Goals	114	(1)
Machiavelli's Method	115	(1)
Human Nature	116	(1)
Power	117	(2)
Elites and Masses	119	(1)
Fortune and Virtue	120	(1)
Gender	121	(1)
Liberty and War	122	(1)
Forms of Government	123	(5)
Republics	124	(1)
Tyrannies	124	(2)
Constitutional Rule: Monarchies and Republics	126	(1)
Nation-States	127	(1)
Conclusion	128	(2)
Notes	130	(1)
Additional Readings	131	(2)
Luther and Calvin: The Religious Basis of Modern Political Thought	133	(12)
Introduction	133	(2)
The Protestant Reformation	135	(1)
Martin Luther	135	(3)
Theology	135	(2)
Political Implications	137	(1)
John Calvin	138	(4)
Political Theology	139	(3)
Women and the Protestant Reformation	142	(1)
Conclusion	143	(1)
Notes	143	(1)
Additional Readings	144	(1)
Copernicus, Bacon, Descartes, and Newton: The Scientific Basis of Modern Politics	145	(13)
Introduction	145	(1)
The Aristotelian-Christian Scientific World	145	(2)
Nicholas Copernicus	147	(2)
Francis Bacon	149	(3)
Rene Descartes	152	(1)
Isaac Newton	153	(1)
Women and the Scientific Revolution	154	(1)
Conclusion	155	(1)
Notes	155	(1)
Additional Readings	156	(2)
Hobbes: Securing Peace	158	(16)
Introduction	158	(2)
Hobbes's Method	160	(1)
Human Nature	161	(1)
State of Nature	162	(1)
Basis of Government and Political Obligation	163	(2)
Sovereign Authority	165	(1)
Natural and Civil Law	166	(1)
Liberty	167	(1)
Citizenship, Class, and Gender	168	(2)
Forms of Government	170	(1)
Conclusion	170	(1)
Notes	171	(2)
Additional Readings	173	(1)
Locke: Protecting Property	174	(17)
Introduction	174	(1)
Locke's Method	175	(1)
Human Nature	176	(1)
State of Nature	177	(2)
Labor Theory of Estate	177	(2)
Natural Law	179	(1)
State of War	179	(1)
Basis of Government	180	(1)
Religious Toleration	181	(1)
Gender, Class, and Citizenship	182	(2)
Institutions and Forms of Government	184	(1)
Despotism and Revolution	185	(1)
Conclusion	186	(2)
Notes	188	(1)
Additional Readings	189	(2)
Rousseau: Establishing Democracy	191	(21)
Introduction	191	(1)
Rousseau's Method	192	(1)
State of Nature and Human Nature	193	(4)
Path to Liberation	197	(1)
The Social Contract	197	(4)
The General Will	199	(1)
Voting and Counting Votes	200	(1)
Rights of Members	201	(1)
Citizenship, Gender, and Education	201	(3)
Freedom and Force	203	(1)
Necessary Conditions for Securing a Contract	204	(2)
The Legislator	204	(1)
The Civil Religion	205	(1)
Geography and Wealth	206	(1)
Executive Institutions	206	(1)
Forms of Government	207	(1)
Conclusion	208	(1)
Notes	209	(2)
Additional Readings	211	(1)
Mary Wollstonecraft: Origins of Modern Feminism	212	(14)
Introduction	212	(1)
Wollstonecraft's Method	213	(3)
Human Nature	216	(2)
Women, the Family, and Government	218	(2)
The Liberation of Women	220	(1)
Women, Men, and Civil Society	221	(1)
Conclusion	222	(2)
Notes	224	(1)
Additional Readings	225	(1)
Hume, Burke, and Kant: Critics and Defenders of the Enlightenment	226	(13)
Introduction	226	(1)
David Hume	227	(4)
Edmund Burke	231	(2)
Immanuel Kant	233	(3)
Conclusion	236	(1)
Notes	237	(1)
Additional Readings	238	(1)
Mill: Grounding Liberty	239	(17)
Introduction	239	(1)
Utilitarianism	240	(1)
Mill's Revision of Utilitarian Method	241	(1)
Human Nature	242	(1)
Tyranny of the Majority	243	(1)
Liberty	244	(2)
Benefits of Liberty	245	(1)
Spheres of Liberty	246	(1)
Truth	246	(1)
Limited Government	247	(1)
Political Economy	248	(1)
Women, Politics, and the Family	249	(1)
Representative Government	250	(2)
Structure and Role of Government	252	(1)
Conclusion	253	(1)
Notes	254	(1)
Additional Readings	255	(1)
Marx: Revealing History's Meaning	256	(21)
Introduction	256	(1)
Marx's Problem	257	(3)
Method: From Hegel to Marx	260	(2)
Stages of History	262	(4)
Prehistory	263	(1)
Precapitalism	264	(1)
Capitalism	265	(1)
Poverty and Alienation	266	(1)
Scientific Socialism	267	(1)
Gender and the Family	268	(2)
The Future	270	(2)
Conclusion	272	(2)
Notes	274	(2)
Additional Readings	276	(1)
Part Four POSTMODERN POLITICAL THOUGHT AND BEYOND
Postmodern Political Thought: Freud, Nietzsche and the End of Reason	277	(18)
Introduction	277	(1)
Sigmund Freud	278	(3)
Endless Human Misery	278	(2)
Costs of Civilization	280	(1)
Friedrich Nietzsche	281	(3)
Human Nature and the Transvaluation of Values	282	(1)
Crisis of Modernity	282	(2)
Nietzsche, Freud, and the Origins of Postmodern Politics	284	(2)
Feminism and Postmodern Politics	286	(3)
Political Philosophy at the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century	289	(3)
Conclusion	292	(1)
Notes	292	(2)
Additional Readings	294	(1)
Inventors of Ideas and Their Inventions: The Continuing Challenge	295	(6)
The Importance of Ideas	295	(1)
Continuity and Change	296	(1)
Conclusion	297	(2)
Notes	299	(1)
Additional Readings	300	(1)
Index	301