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This book brings together two seminal works by George Santayana, one of the most significant philosophers of the twentieth century: Character and Opinion in the United States, which stands with Tocquevilles Democracy in America as one the most insightful works of American cultural criticism ever written, and The Genteel Tradition in American Philosophy, a landmark text of both philosophical analysis and cultural criticism.An introduction by James Seaton situates Santayana in the intellectual and cultural context of his own time. Four additional essays include John Lachs onthe ways Santayanas understanding of the soul of America help explain the relative peace among nationalities and ethnic groups in the United States; Wilfred M. McClay on Santayanas life of the mind as it relates to dominant trends in American culture; Roger Kimball on Santayanas most uncommon benefice, common sense; and James Seaton on Santayanas distinction between English liberty and fierce liberty. All the essays serve to highlight the relevance of Santayanas ideas to current issues in American culture, including education, immigration, and civil rights.

A central figure in Western history and American political thought, Thomas Paine continues to provoke debate among politicians, activists, and scholars. People of all ideological stripes are inspired by his trenchant defense of the rights and good sense of ordinary individuals, and his penetrating critiques of arbitrary power. This volume contains Paine's explosive Common Sense in its entirety, including the oft-ignored Appendix, as well as selections from his other major writings: The American Crisis, Rights of Man, and The Age of Reason. It also contains several of Paine's shorter essays. All the documents have been transcribed directly from the originals, making this edition the most reliable one available. Essays by Ian Shapiro, Jonathan Clark, Jane Calvert, and Eileen Hunt Botting bring Paine into sharp focus, illuminating his place in the tumultuous decades surrounding the American and French Revolutions and his larger historical legacy.

A compact and accessible edition of Hume's political and moral writings with essays by a distinguished set of contributors

Marx and Engels's Communist Manifesto has become one of the world’s most influential political tracts since its original 1848 publication. Part of the Rethinking the Western Tradition series, this edition of the Manifesto features an extensive introduction by Jeffrey C. Isaac, and essays by Vladimir Tismaneanu, Steven Lukes, Saskia Sassen, and Stephen Eric Bronner, each well known for their writing on questions central to the Manifesto and the history of Marxism. These essays address the Manifesto's historical background, its impact on the development of twentieth-century Communism, its strengths and weaknesses as a form of ethical critique, and its relevance in the post-1989, post-Cold War world. This edition also includes much ancillary material, including the many Prefaces published in the lifetimes of Marx and Engels, and Engels's "e;Principles of Communism."e;

Originally published almost 150 years ago, five parts of "The Idea of a University" - "University Teaching" and four selections from "University Subjects" - are reproduced here, along with five essays by contemporary scholars exploring the present day relevance of Newman's themes.

Abraham Lincoln never wrote a book: his ideas are contained in speeches, letters, and occasional writings. By bringing these works together into a single anthology, this book shows that Lincoln deserves to be counted among the great political philosophers.In addition to many examples of Lincoln’s writings, this volume includes four interpretive essays that will provide an intellectual feast for any reader exploring his complex legacy. Danilo Petranovich looks at Lincoln’s conception of the Union and its radically new focus on purging the nation of the problem of slavery. Ralph Lerner reconsiders Lincoln’s relation to the American framers and in particular his effort to put the Declaration of Independence on a new foundation. Benjamin Kleinerman examines Lincoln’s always controversial views on the scope of executive power during war. And Steven Smith considers the place of religion in Lincoln’s political thought through a close reading of his Second Inaugural Address.

Thomas Carlyle's "On Heroes, Hero Worship, and the Heroic in History" considers how heroes are created and conveys his ideas on the importance of heroic leadership. In six reevaluative essays, the authors argue that Carlyle's concept of heroism actually repudiates its own authoritarian roots and stresses the hero's spiritual dimension.

Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), philosopher and reformer, is one of the most influential thinkers of the modern age. This introduction to his writings presents a representative selection of texts authoritatively restored by the Bentham Project, University College London.

This work argues for reason over anarchy and seems to advocate what many see as an elitist model of culture. This edition adds to the debate with essays from Maurice Cowling, Gerald Graff, Samuel Lipman and Steven Marcus.