A World History of Ancient Political Thought

A World History of Ancient Political Thought

Author: Antony Black

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016-10-20

Total Pages: 278

ISBN-13: 0192507982

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This revised and expanded edition of A World History of Ancient Political Thought examines the political thought of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel, Iran, India, China, Greece, Rome and early Christianity, from prehistory to c.300 CE. The book explores the earliest texts of literate societies, beginning with the first written records of political thought in Egypt and Mesopotamia and ending with the collapse of the Han dynasty and the Western Roman Empire. In most cultures, sacred monarchy was the norm, but this ranged from absolute to conditional authority. 'The people' were recipients of royal (and divine) beneficence. Justice, the rule of law and meritocracy were generally regarded as fundamental. In Greece and Rome, democracy and liberty were born, while in Israel the polity was based on covenant and the law. Confucius taught humaneness, Mozi and Christianity taught universal love; Kautilya and the Chinese 'Legalists' believed in realpolitik and an authoritarian state. The conflict between might and right was resolved in many different ways. Chinese, Greek and Indian thinkers reflected on the origin and purposes of the state. Status and class were embedded in Indian and Chinese thought, the nation in Israelite thought. The Stoics and Cicero, on the other hand, saw humanity as a single unit. Political philosophy, using logic, evidence and dialectic, was invented in China and Greece, statecraft in China and India, political science in Greece. Plato and Aristotle, followed by Polybius and Cicero, started 'western' political philosophy. This book covers political philosophy, religious ideology, constitutional theory, social ethics, official and popular political culture.


Ancient Political Thought

Ancient Political Thought

Author: Richard N. Bosley

Publisher: Broadview Press

Published: 2013-12-30

Total Pages: 394

ISBN-13: 1551118114

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book presents selections from the political and social thought of the ancient West from the early sixth century BCE up to the early years of the Roman Empire and includes not only the classic philosophers, Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero, but a number of dramatists and historians as well. The range of topics these writings treat run from class conflict, through the perils of democracy and the horrors of tyranny, to the place of women in politics, while the styles range from the deeply dramatic of Sophocles’ Antigone and the bawdy satire of Aristophanes’ Assemblywomen to Plato’s Socratic dialogue Republic and Aristotle’s scientific treatise Politics. The translations have been chosen, and sometimes modified, for clarity and readability, and are accompanied by introductions which set forth the historical context and trace the general lines of thought the readings develop. Frequent notes explain references to ancient lore unfamiliar to many readers. Questions for discussion accompany each reading.


A History of Political Thought

A History of Political Thought

Author: Janet Coleman

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Published: 2000-06-22

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9780631186533

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This volume continues the story of European political theorising by focusing on medieval and Renaissance thinkers. It includes extensive discussion of the practices that underpinned medieval political theories and which continued to play crucial roles in the eventual development of early-modern political institutions and debates. The author strikes a balance between trying to understand the philosophical cogency of medieval and Renaissance arguments on the one hand, elucidating why historically-suited medieval and Renaissance thinkers thought the ways they did about politics; and why we often think otherwise.


History of Political Theory: An Introduction

History of Political Theory: An Introduction

Author: George Klosko

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2013-02-07

Total Pages: 583

ISBN-13: 019969544X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

History of Political Theory: An Introduction is an engaging introduction to the main figures in the history of Western Political Theory and their most important works. The second volume traces the origin and development of liberal political theory, and so the foundations for contemporary views.


Ancient Greek Political Thought in Practice

Ancient Greek Political Thought in Practice

Author: Paul Cartledge

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2009-05-28

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 113948849X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Ancient Greece was a place of tremendous political experiment and innovation, and it was here too that the first serious political thinkers emerged. Using carefully selected case-studies, in this book Professor Cartledge investigates the dynamic interaction between ancient Greek political thought and practice from early historic times to the early Roman Empire. Of concern throughout are three major issues: first, the relationship of political thought and practice; second, the relevance of class and status to explaining political behaviour and thinking; third, democracy - its invention, development and expansion, and extinction, prior to its recent resuscitation and even apotheosis. In addition, monarchy in various forms and at different periods and the peculiar political structures of Sparta are treated in detail over a chronological range extending from Homer to Plutarch. The book provides an introduction to the topic for all students and non-specialists who appreciate the continued relevance of ancient Greece to political theory and practice today.


A World History of Political Thought

A World History of Political Thought

Author: J. Babb

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2018-05-25

Total Pages: 476

ISBN-13: 1786435535

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A World History of Political Thought is an outstanding and innovative work with profound significance for the study of the history of political thought, providing a wide-ranging, detailed and global overview of political thought from 600 BC to the 21st century. Treating both western and non-western systems of political thought as equal and placing them as they should be; side by side.


On Politics

On Politics

Author: Alan Ryan

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 1147

ISBN-13: 0871404656

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Looks at the history of politics from Hobbes to the twenty-first century.


International Relations in Political Thought

International Relations in Political Thought

Author: Chris Brown

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2002-04-25

Total Pages: 905

ISBN-13: 1107393612

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This unique collection presents texts in international relations from Ancient Greece to the First World War. Major writers such as Thucydides, Augustine, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Grotius, Kant and John Stuart Mill are represented by extracts of their key works; less well-known international theorists including John of Paris, Cornelius van Bynkershoek and Friedrich List are also included. Fifty writers are anthologised in what is the largest such collection currently available. The texts, most of which are substantial extracts, are organised into broadly chronological sections, each of which is headed by an introduction that places the work in its historical and philosophical context. Ideal for both students and scholars, the volume also includes biographies and guides to further reading.


Greek Political Thought

Greek Political Thought

Author: Ryan K. Balot

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2008-04-15

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 1405152214

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This wide-ranging history of ancient Greek political thought showswhat ancient political texts might mean to citizens of thetwenty-first century. A provocative and wide-ranging history of ancient Greekpolitical thought Demonstrates what ancient Greek works of political philosophymight mean to citizens of the twenty-first century Examines an array of poetic, historical, and philosophicaltexts in an effort to locate Greek political thought in itscultural context Pays careful attention to the distinctively ancient connectionsbetween politics and ethics Structured around key themes such as the origins of politicalthought, political self-definition, revolutions in politicalthought, democracy and imperialism


The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Greek Political Thought

The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Greek Political Thought

Author: Stephen Salkever

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2009-04-27

Total Pages: 391

ISBN-13: 1139828029

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Greek Political Thought provides a guide to understanding the central texts and problems in ancient Greek political thought, from Homer through the Stoics and Epicureans. Composed of essays specially commissioned for this volume and written by leading scholars of classics, political science, and philosophy, the Companion brings these texts to life by analysing what they have to tell us about the problems of political life. Focusing on texts by Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, Plato, and Aristotle, among others, they examine perennial issues, including rights and virtues, democracy and the rule of law, community formation and maintenance, and the ways in which theorizing of several genres can and cannot assist political practice.