Introduction to Political Philosophy & Ideologies
On this page you will find many links to the lives and works of a wide range of important political philosophers. Their ideas have profoundly shaped the ideologies that underlie modern political systems: liberalism, conservatism, socialism, feminism, and anarchism.ANCIENT PHILOSOPHERS
Aristotle (384-211 b.c.)
Biography
Selected
titles available on-line:
Plato
(429-347 b.c.) Biography
& overview Selected titles available on-line:
EARLY POLITICAL WRITINGS
Thomas
Aquinas (1225-1274) Biography
Selected
titles available on-line:
Selected title available on-line:
EARLY MODERN POLITICAL WRITINGS
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) Biography
Selected titles available on-line:
- An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation
- Offences Against One's Self
- Rationale of Punishment
- Rationale of Reward
Selected titles available on-line: Biography
Selected titles available on-line:
- A Letter from a Gentleman to his Friend in Edinburgh
- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
- Of Essay Writing
- Of the Liberty of the Press
- Of the Rise and Progress of the Arts and Sciences
- Critique of Judgement
- Critique of Practical Reason
- The Critique of Pure Reason
- Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals
- Perpetual Peace
- The Science of Right
CLASSICAL LIBERAL WRITINGS
John Locke (632-1704) Selected titles available on-line:
- An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
- Second Treatise on Government
- A Letter Concerning Toleration
Selected titles available on-line:
- On Liberty
- Representative Government
- Speech In Favor of Capital Punishment
- Subjection of Women
- Utilitarianism
CLASSIC CONSERVATIVE WRITINGS
Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Overview Selected titles available on-line:
EARLY COMMUNIST WRITINGS
Karl
Marx (1818-1883) Biography
by Frederick Engels
Selected titles available on-line:
TWENTIETH-CENTURY POLITICAL WRITINGS
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) Biography
and overview
A number of Russell's
writings are available on-line. Selected titles include:
- The Bomb and Civilization
- In Praise of Idleness
- The Problems of Philosophy
- Proposed Roads to Freedom
Selected extracts of her works available on-line: Noam Chomsky (1928- ) Biography
Selected works available on-line: For information and links to other political philosophers, connect to:
-
Peter
Suber's Guide to Philosophy on the Internet
Philosophy Pages
The
World Wide Web Virtual Library: Philosophy
FEMINISM
An important development in modern political thought has been the impact of feminism. While not an ideology, feminist approaches
to philosophy and political issues have broad applications.
One of the earliest arguments for women's rights
was Mary Wollstonecraft's book, A Vindication of the
Rights of Women, which was written partially in response to Thomas Paine's
The
Rights of Man.
Connections to a wide variety of feminist resources are provided by:
- Andrea Dworkin Web Site
- Joan Korenman at the Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County
- the English Department at Carnegie Mellon Univ.
- Feminist Theory Website
- the Graduate Collaborative Program in Women's Studies at the Univ. of Toronto
ANARCHISM
Anarchism is a philosophy with many variations, but the central belief is that hierarchy and imposed authority are harmful
to human society. To find out more, read
An
Introduction to Anarchism.
You can also visit various anarchist sites on the Web.
E-TEXT COLLECTIONS
Several group provide full text versions of classic writings online:Alex Catalogue of Electronic Texts