Philosophy

An Introduction to Political Philosophy

An Introduction to Political Philosophy

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  • Create Date：2021-11-19 06:55:00
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Jonathan Wolff
  • ISBN：0199658013
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Summary

Why should some have the right to pass power？

What would happen without government？

How much power should the state have？

An ideal introduction for students with no background in the subject， An Introduction to Political Philosophy， Third Edition， combines clarity and a conversational style with a thought-provoking account of the central questions in political philosophy。

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。

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Reviews

Georgia ，

A great book if you want an introduction to philosophers and their thoughts on politics。 Divided up nicely and well written。

René ，

This is a masterful review of the most significant philosophical thoughts since Hobbs， carefully looking at pros， cons and ramifications of each theory。 Although a bit too much time is spent reviewing Mill and Rawls， this is a must-read for all early readers of political philosophy。

Your Favorite Person ，

Công tâm mà nói， cuốn này khá hay chất lượng điểm mười nằm ở curriculum của Oxford PolSci; nhưng mà vì đây là ghi lại mối quan hệ của tôi và cuốn sách chứ không phải cuốn sách， nên: Tôi thấy rất bức bối và khó thở khi đọc cuốn này， đọc 1 phát là biết luận điểm và các nguồn được đưa ra đều đi qua rất nhiều bước não bộ chau chuốt và mài dũa， luận điểm tứ phía chặt không có đường lui， thế nên tôi thấy như tôi bị mắng đúng nên không nói được gì， hơi tức haha。 Cảm giác như mỗi lần tôi nói chuyện tron Công tâm mà nói， cuốn này khá hay chất lượng điểm mười nằm ở curriculum của Oxford PolSci; nhưng mà vì đây là ghi lại mối quan hệ của tôi và cuốn sách chứ không phải cuốn sách， nên: Tôi thấy rất bức bối và khó thở khi đọc cuốn này， đọc 1 phát là biết luận điểm và các nguồn được đưa ra đều đi qua rất nhiều bước não bộ chau chuốt và mài dũa， luận điểm tứ phía chặt không có đường lui， thế nên tôi thấy như tôi bị mắng đúng nên không nói được gì， hơi tức haha。 Cảm giác như mỗi lần tôi nói chuyện trong não: "Nhưng mà， cái X này sẽ không được vì cái Y này， dựa trên tiền đề là cái Z này" thì một vài đoạn sau bác đã dẹp ngay cái mà tôi vừa cho sống thoi thóp， đang giẫy。 Đúng là một trải nghiệm đọc sách như đang xem phim và nghe chửi。。。 。。。more

Nicktimebreak ，

总体上一次不错的阅读，关于罗尔斯和穆勒的部分与桑德尔的公正有重叠内容，但后者在案例选取上我觉得会更深刻一些。大致上解答了一些低级的疑惑，也引发了一些高级的疑惑，我想这也是哲学的意义之一吧。

Michael Prendergast ，

Fascinating and insightful。 The first half of this book introduced me to ideas and concepts I hadn't previously considered。 The second half lost me a little。 This will go on my reread pile。 Fascinating and insightful。 The first half of this book introduced me to ideas and concepts I hadn't previously considered。 The second half lost me a little。 This will go on my reread pile。 。。。more

Rui ，

É sempre dificil avaliar introduções quando não dominas a área introduzida， mas pelo menos posso dizer que achei interessante。 O livro começa com uma introdução ao tema do State of Nature， e depois parte para a discussão de vários temas， passando por várias das mais influentes tradições politicas da história。

André Leão ，

Too bad he decided to fuck up everything in the last chapter， still worthy to read。

Ahmed ，

An excellent introduction for the absolute beginner to political philosophy which， despite recognizing its own implicit bias towards individualist liberalism in the final chapter， still aims more towards asking questions than giving answers in order to elucidate the problems which thinkers of political philosophy generally concern themselves with and how they approach them。

Becky ，

Locke is the worst

Rasheed Lewis ，

As Thomas Jefferson noted， "An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people。" And during a time of intense political divide and educational malaise， this point could not be anymore relevant in showing where exactly the American people has gone off the deep end。 How can we expect to take full advantage of our current "unalienable rights" while failing to be cognizant of the Great Conversation that has gotten us here。After becoming acutely aware of my own ignorance in As Thomas Jefferson noted， "An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people。" And during a time of intense political divide and educational malaise， this point could not be anymore relevant in showing where exactly the American people has gone off the deep end。 How can we expect to take full advantage of our current "unalienable rights" while failing to be cognizant of the Great Conversation that has gotten us here。After becoming acutely aware of my own ignorance in politics， I figured I'd pick Jonathan Wolff's book up。 And wow， all of the questions presented in this small but productive introductory book made me regret most of the times I had decided to drop by unfounded two cents into the pool of public social media discussion。 From John Stuart Mill and his wariness of group identities to Rawls and Nozick's debate on the trade-offs between liberty and security， Wolff's examples are especially fitting for the discussions of the day。Do your part as a citizen and read it。 。。。more

Nanami ，

It was a lot of information at once， but a good introduction nonetheless。 I would recommend it to students who plan to study political science， political science， and similar social sciences/humanities。

David ，

Good introduction for anyone who wants to get into political philosophy

Chelsea ，

发现以前看的哲学书在介绍政治哲学提及了霍布斯，卢梭，洛克，鲜少提及穆勒的自由主义的代议制民主，难得这本通识书脉络清晰，从文艺复兴时期的政治哲学一直延伸到当代的诺齐克和罗尔斯，而在自由篇中提及了如下一个观点：对于如果我们压制一个正确的观点，我们就失去了以谬误换真理的机会，而如果我们压制一个错误的观点，我们就以一种不同的方式有所失，我们失去了一个质疑，再思考并有可能重新肯定我们正确观点的机会。无论多么正确的意见，如果不能时常经受充分且无所畏惧的讨论，它只能作为僵死的教条而不是现货的真理而被持有。真理最终想要显现出来，唯一的办法就是允许争论的各方充分而自由地讨论。 也许这是言论自由的本质。

Dougie Whitehead ，

An Incredibly important， and extremely readable， book outlining the threads of political thought from Plato to today。 Rights （natural and created）， Liberty， who gets to rule， Justice， free markets， distributive wealth， communitarianism， and Individualism。 Only a starting point for more reading。 But a wonderful starting point！And admittedly a textbook for a class I am starting in April。

Joao Baptista ，

Como o título indica， esta é uma introdução à Filosofia Política， saída da pena de um especialista na matéria。 O livro está particularmente bem escrito， com uma clareza e uma fluidez invejáveis， o que torna a sua leitura muito aprazível， mas sem perda de rigor e profundidade。 Na verdade， apesar da feição analítica e argumentativa， o autor nunca adopta um discurso excessivamente técnico ou permeado por jargão， conseguindo antes encontrar um tom expositivo bastante coloquial e leve。 A tradução par Como o título indica， esta é uma introdução à Filosofia Política， saída da pena de um especialista na matéria。 O livro está particularmente bem escrito， com uma clareza e uma fluidez invejáveis， o que torna a sua leitura muito aprazível， mas sem perda de rigor e profundidade。 Na verdade， apesar da feição analítica e argumentativa， o autor nunca adopta um discurso excessivamente técnico ou permeado por jargão， conseguindo antes encontrar um tom expositivo bastante coloquial e leve。 A tradução pareceu-me boa e foi cientificamente revista por um filósofo， o que permite preservar a propriedade terminológica。Quanto ao conteúdo， não se trata de uma história da filosofia política， que privilegie uma abordagem essencialmente cronológica， dado que a obra está organizada por capítulos temáticos， que se encadeiam de acordo com um critério sistemático e lógico。 Claro que， dentro destas temáticas， há uma apresentação tendencialmente cronológica das principais respostas que foram sendo dadas ao longo da história da Filosofia Política （o que faz todo o sentido， na medida em que as posteriores tendem a complementar， modificar ou refutar as anteriores）。 Desde a questão da legitimidade do poder político e da existência do Estado， por contraposição com o que seria a vida num hipotético estado de natureza， à determinação da forma que aquele deve assumir， como e por quem deve ser exercido， à escolha dos princípios em torno dos quais se deve estruturar ou que deve visar， aos problemas e os desafios que a democracia comporta， designadamente face a modelos alternativos de organização política da comunidade， terminando com um capítulo sobre as perspectivas feministas que se repercutem sobre a política， o autor passa em revista as principais teses desenvolvidas pelos filósofos ao longo da história， sendo de destacar Platão， Hobbes， Locke， Bentham， Rousseau， Mill， Kropotkin， Wollstonecraft， Rawls， Nozick， Marx， entre outros （mas com uma ausência de peso: Kant…）。É certo que se pode notar a prevalência de uma visão bastante centrada na perspectiva do individualismo liberal， isto é， da precedência ontológica e valorativa do indivíduo sobre a sociedade e da visão do homem como um ser naturalmente livre， cuja liberdade só pode ser restringida de forma fundamentada。 Essa opção não é escondida; pelo contrário， o autor assume-a e procura fundamentá-la， ao mesmo tempo que apresenta algumas visões alternativas， ainda que de forma comparativamente menos desenvolvida。Em suma， uma introdução muito bem feita， bem argumentada， com rigor filosófico e que permite não só sistematizar algumas ideias， como servir de ponto de partida para um estudo mais aprofundado de alguns autores ou ideias-chave。A classificação seria mais um 4 1/2， mas arredondei para 5。 。。。more

pawi ，

Very good introduction to this topic！ Easy to follow， explaining the filosofers statements in simpler phrasing， at times slightly dry。

Chan Henry ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 93 page social contract

Navid Asmari Saadabad ，

He has collected the ideas of famous political philosophers to shed light on the modern-world political issues。 In most of the topics， he ends up discussing the concepts of justice and liberty and shows how one can criticize the ideas based on these concepts。 In general， the book is quite mind-tickling compared to Adam Swift's Political Philosophy which takes a relatively informative stance。 In the introduction the author mentions that: "It will be possible to read this book and end up as uncert He has collected the ideas of famous political philosophers to shed light on the modern-world political issues。 In most of the topics， he ends up discussing the concepts of justice and liberty and shows how one can criticize the ideas based on these concepts。 In general， the book is quite mind-tickling compared to Adam Swift's Political Philosophy which takes a relatively informative stance。 In the introduction the author mentions that: "It will be possible to read this book and end up as uncertain as before。 But we must not underestimate the progress made by advancing from muddled ignorance to informed bemusement。" 。。。more

tongla ，

Good and concise critical introduction to political philosophy。 I have no problems with professors presenting their own arguments， as long as they do it to the extent that students are encouraged to think。 Wolff did this well， except in the last chapter on feminism where I think the counterarguments are a bit too simplistic and some feminist claims are too hastily dismissed。 I read the 2nd edition， though; the latest edition may have improved on this。

Michiel ，

Very good introduction in the topic， for those without background in political science and even philosophy， like me。 The upside of this book is also its downside; it's relatively short。 While the book covers a broad scope， it does not go greatly in depth。 But this does allow amateurs like me to grasp the topic relatively quickly and gives plenty of pointers to continue your study。 Very good introduction in the topic， for those without background in political science and even philosophy， like me。 The upside of this book is also its downside; it's relatively short。 While the book covers a broad scope， it does not go greatly in depth。 But this does allow amateurs like me to grasp the topic relatively quickly and gives plenty of pointers to continue your study。 。。。more

Vinicius Apolinario ，

Uma introdução razoável sobre alguns dos principais problemas da filosofia política。 Gostei bastante dos comentários do autor sobre a filosofia política moderna， como as teorias de Hobbes， Locke， Rousseau e Mill （assumindo que Mill está entre os "clássicos"）。 Entretanto， achei um pouco resumido demais as abordagens dos problemas mais contemporâneos。 De todo modo， um bom livro para se usar como base para discussão com público leigo， ou um bom livro pra quem não tem nenhum domínio formal de filoso Uma introdução razoável sobre alguns dos principais problemas da filosofia política。 Gostei bastante dos comentários do autor sobre a filosofia política moderna， como as teorias de Hobbes， Locke， Rousseau e Mill （assumindo que Mill está entre os "clássicos"）。 Entretanto， achei um pouco resumido demais as abordagens dos problemas mais contemporâneos。 De todo modo， um bom livro para se usar como base para discussão com público leigo， ou um bom livro pra quem não tem nenhum domínio formal de filosofia。 。。。more

Faisal Shabbir ，

Excellent introduction to political philosophy。 Written in a manner easy to read。 Worth a read to understand difficult concepts and developing the journey of political philosophy through time admittedly， in Europe only。 It also helps give reasons we need political philosophy and issues it helps us conceptulise。

Tran ，

Thought-provoking argumentative writing approach。 Leave room for reader's judgment。 Thought-provoking argumentative writing approach。 Leave room for reader's judgment。 。。。more

Elia Mantovani ，

The book provides a very good genetal introduction to some central debates at the core of political philosophy。 Most of the essay can works as a sum of the thoughts of many great phiilosophers （i。e。 history of political thought） but the last chapter tries to deal with the subject from a broader angle， delving into some contemporaneous issues。 The book is generally fine， absolutely not too technical， but I found Wolff's style excessively manual。 It may serve as a handbook rather than as a traditi The book provides a very good genetal introduction to some central debates at the core of political philosophy。 Most of the essay can works as a sum of the thoughts of many great phiilosophers （i。e。 history of political thought） but the last chapter tries to deal with the subject from a broader angle， delving into some contemporaneous issues。 The book is generally fine， absolutely not too technical， but I found Wolff's style excessively manual。 It may serve as a handbook rather than as a traditional essay。 。。。more

Felix Borchgrevink Haave ，

The peak of human achievements in the art of political philosophy is John Rawls “A Theory of Justice” according to this book。 I don’t know about that but this book presents a well written general outline of different political philosophies。 The chapter about anarchy was a bit rough， I am certainly no anarchist but anarchism has some merit to it， and I believe the writer should have emphasized more on that。

Neil Williams ，

If you are looking for a great book to introduce you to the subject of political Philosophy， this is a great option。 Short and very informative on the subjects that it covers。 The shortness does tell if it’s lack of coverage in certain areas of politics but again， it’s just an introduction。 It might be helpful to come in with somewhat of an understanding of the history of political thought because he deals a lot with philosophers such as Hobbs， Locke， Rousseau， Rawls， and others。 Overall a good If you are looking for a great book to introduce you to the subject of political Philosophy， this is a great option。 Short and very informative on the subjects that it covers。 The shortness does tell if it’s lack of coverage in certain areas of politics but again， it’s just an introduction。 It might be helpful to come in with somewhat of an understanding of the history of political thought because he deals a lot with philosophers such as Hobbs， Locke， Rousseau， Rawls， and others。 Overall a good book。 Especially as a refresher for someone who might have used to have studied it but it’s been awhile。 。。。more

Jon Kahler ，

A wonderfully written book for those who are new to political philosophy！ Not too dense that it becomes overwhelming， but rich enough to compel further reading！

Dave Elliott ，

Hi there，I think that this book will appeal to both the person just becoming interested in why is it we are organised the way that we are， the person beginning to study politics and philosophy and the person that has any interest in the world， where we have been， where we are now and how that journey has been made。It is written in such a clear and "simple" way that it draws you in to find yourself almost unable to put it down。 If you have read anything else written by Jonathan Wolff， I think you Hi there，I think that this book will appeal to both the person just becoming interested in why is it we are organised the way that we are， the person beginning to study politics and philosophy and the person that has any interest in the world， where we have been， where we are now and how that journey has been made。It is written in such a clear and "simple" way that it draws you in to find yourself almost unable to put it down。 If you have read anything else written by Jonathan Wolff， I think you will immediately understand what I mean by that。 For those of you not familiar with Wolff， if you can imagine not having to struggle with unneeded， esoteric language but instead being treated to straightforward， clear words and phrases that explain these sometimes complex thoughts and situations in a way that just make sense， then you understand the sort of wonderful experience this book is。Wolff's writing style， whilst making it easy to read， never detracts from the import of what he is talking about。 You are never left thinking "I'm sure there's more to this than just that！"。 Of course， this is an introduction and so the author doesn't go into the minutiae of every topic but it is covered to a degree that you feel satisfied that you could either pick up one of the cited references and be able to grapple with the concept therein or pick up the recommended reading having a good understanding to get straight into it。This is a great book。 Easy to read and understand with content that is well-chosen， thought out and presented。I can't recommend this book highly enough。 。。。more

Inês ，

A difficult book to read in a row， which， as the author advises in the beginning， is not necessarily the best way to do it。 Each chapter can be read at a different time， and refers to a different stream of political though， answering one of the three questions posed throughout the book。 The explanation of Jan Pen’s income parade and the concepts of positive and negative liberty by Isaiah Berlin were particularly striking。 As a result， I now have more questions than answers， which I guess was the A difficult book to read in a row， which， as the author advises in the beginning， is not necessarily the best way to do it。 Each chapter can be read at a different time， and refers to a different stream of political though， answering one of the three questions posed throughout the book。 The explanation of Jan Pen’s income parade and the concepts of positive and negative liberty by Isaiah Berlin were particularly striking。 As a result， I now have more questions than answers， which I guess was the point of it all。 。。。more

Helen。A。H ，

It was really interesting， easy， informative introduction to political philosophy！ Which ask， challenge， evaluate fundamental questions of politics connect them with human nature， ethics， economic。。。etc 。 and answer them by appealing to most influential and revolutionary thinkers and philosophers of politics， and what was more interesting about this book was that it doesn’t just try to answer fundamental questions but present various ideas criticise each of them that will give you wider understa It was really interesting， easy， informative introduction to political philosophy！ Which ask， challenge， evaluate fundamental questions of politics connect them with human nature， ethics， economic。。。etc 。 and answer them by appealing to most influential and revolutionary thinkers and philosophers of politics， and what was more interesting about this book was that it doesn’t just try to answer fundamental questions but present various ideas criticise each of them that will give you wider understanding of subject rather than giving the direct answer about questions and convince you to believe it！！ 。。。more

Reference

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