First published in 1651, “Leviathan” is Thomas Hobbes’ work of political philosophy in which he outlines his theories on an ideal state and its creation. Written in the middle of the 17th century during the English Civil War, Hobbes’ argues that a strong central government with an absolute sovereign was necessary to bring about an ordered society. Given the tumultuous events of English society at the time of the writing of “Leviathan” it is clea ...
Thomas More, a 16th century English lawyer, statesman, and philosopher, was one of the most controversial figures of his time. More opposed the Protestant reformation and denied the King’s position as head of the Church of England. This act would ultimately lead to his trial for treason and execution. Despite his tragic downfall, he will forever be remembered for his pioneering work “Utopia.” Thomas More first coined the word utopia in his 1516 ...
Plato’s most famous work and one of the most important books ever written on the subject of philosophy and political theory, “The Republic” is a fictional dialogue between Socrates and other various Athenians and foreigners which examines the meaning of justice. It is primarily from the writings of Plato that Socrates’s ideas are passed down to us. Written around 380 BC, the work is an important contribution to the age old question of how to bes ...
English Enlightenment philosopher John Locke has been called the “Father of Liberalism”. Following in the tradition of Sir Francis Bacon, he is one of the first British empiricists, which emphasizes the role of empirical evidence in the formation of ideas. His work would greatly influence other prominent political and literary figures including Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and the founding fathers of the United States of America. Contained h ...
This volume collects together the most important writings of founding father Thomas Paine. First published on January 10, 1776, “Common Sense” was one the most influential and best-selling works from the colonial period. One of the central political arguments amongst the colonists of the pre-revolutionary period was whether or not they should seek freedom from British rule. In “Common Sense”, Paine provided a straightforward argument to the Amer ...
“On Liberty and Other Essays” brings together the most important works of philosopher and political economist John Stuart Mill. In “On Liberty” Mill eloquently ponders the question of where the line should be drawn between the freedom of individuals and the authority of the state. As he puts it, “The struggle between liberty and authority is the most conspicuous feature in the portions of history with which we are earliest familiar…” Second in t ...
First published anonymously in December 1689, John Locke’s “Two Treatises of Government” are considered to be some of the most important works of political philosophy ever written. In the first treatise Locke disputes the divine right of monarchial rule principle that is put forth in the book “Patriarcha” by Sir Robert Filmer. The first treatise is in fact a sentence by sentence refutation of “Patriarcha.” Filmer asserts the idea that absolute a ...
In 1831, the then twenty-seven year old Alexis de Tocqueville, was sent with Gustave de Beaumont to America by the French Government to study and make a report on the American prison system. Over a period of nine months the two traveled all over America making notes not only on the prison systems but on all aspects of American society and government. From these notes Tocqueville wrote “Democracy in America”, an exhaustive analysis of the success ...
Following the signing of the Declaration of Independence there was a vigorous debate in the American colonies on the form of government that should be then established. A Constitutional Convention was convened between May 25th and September 17th, 1787. A principal point in the debate at the convention was as to how much power should be granted to the federal government versus the states. In response to what would come out of this convention a nu ...
