Book Description

Iain Hampsher-Monk's lucid and accessible history of modern political thought is the introduction to the subject which many have been waiting for, providing a thorough guide to the ideas and writings of major political thinkers from Hobbes to Marx (including a full account of the American Federalist Papers ). The author's aim throughout is to incorporate the benefits of modern scholarship of the historical school, with its emphasis on historical and political circumstances as a key to meaning. Recognizing that for most students time will not allow detailed study of the historical and political contexts of particular works, Hampsher-Monk provides here the background necessary for the reader to situate the writings of key thinkers in relation to wider currents in intellectual and political history. A History of Modern Political Thought will meet the needs both of students of political theory and philosophy and general readers. It is an indispensable secondary source which situates, explains and provokes thought about the major works of political theory likely to be encountered by students of modern political thought