Political Thinking: The Perennial Questions, 6th Edition

by Glenn Tinder

Among the new class of inductees into the “Longman Classics in Political Science” Series, this reissue of Glenn Tinder's highly regarded, unique text introduces political philosophy by posing questions that help students engage in the process of political thinking. Political Thinking stirs critical thought in students by concentrating on the questions of the political world rather than the answers. In addition, the great philosophers' responses to these questions are traced, helping students understand the historical and contemporary importance of these questions in politics and political life. The book has been reissued with a new Foreword by Steven M. Delue of Miami University of Ohio.

Genres: Politics, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Sociology, Political Science, Theory

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[فرشاد · Rating 5 out of 5]

نویسنده در این کتاب، مخاطب را در برابر پرسش های اساسی قرار میدهد و ذهن او را با مسائل فلسفی همچون برابری انسان ها و بیگانگی یا یگانگی آنها و نیز ضرورت وجود قدرت و حکومت در جامعه و محدودیت های آن، به چالش می کشد. در این خلال نویسنده دکترین های سیاسی مختلف را از آنارشیسم و لیبرالیسم گرفته تا عقاید لاک و هابز و روسو مطرح میکند و ایراد های وارد بر آنها را مورد بررسی قرار می دهد. در پایان نویسنده با دیدی عمیق به مساله تاریخ و غایت آن می پردازد و پرداختن به سیاست را از ملزومات جدی ادامه زندگی اجتماعی بر می شمرد.

[Ahmed M. Gamil · Rating 2 out of 5]

في حياتي لم أترك كتاباً بغير أن أنهيه.. لأول مرّة تجبرني ترجمةٌ ما على ترك كتاب.. الكتاب ذو فكرةٍ واعدة في الحقيقة غير أنّ الترجمة أفسدته.. مع كامل احترامي وتقديري للمجهود المبذول من المترجم.

الكتاب واعدٌ من حيث نوعية الأسئلة المطروحة.. وكونها أسئلة تُطرح ثم تُطرح مرّات ومرّات جعلها ذلك أبديّة.. أسئلة مثل .. المساواة.. المجتمع المثالي.. العدل.. الحريّة.. أسئلة عظيمة وفلسفيّة عميقة تتخلل السياسة ولا تنفكّ عنها.. لكن ترجمة المحتوى لم تكن على مستوى الفكرة.

أنصح بقراءة الكتاب بكل تأكيد لكن إذا ما وجدت نسخةً غير هذه بالطبع.

تحياتي،

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a series of questions that students should consider about political life (which is to say life where it intersects with other people), and some reflections that are intended to encourage the reader to think about answers. It does not answer its own questions - that would defeat the purpose of generating thought. The discussions that follow each question include some basic information on the ways that political thinkers and philosophers of the past have approached the question. As such, it is an excellent teaching-tool for Intellectual History, Political Science, or Philosophy.

The questions are arranged into categories (such as "Estrangement and Unity," "Inequality and Equality," and "Historical Change"), and the questions in each section proceed from the basic ("Are Human Beings Unequal in Essence?") to the specific ("If All Conventional Inequalities Were Abolished, Could Liberty Survive?"). The chapters are written so as to avoid allowing the author's biases to come through - his goal is to encourage students to draw their own conclusions, and hopefully discuss and debate them with one another.

Nevertheless, the book is far from comprehensive, and leans toward a standard "canon" approach to (Western) Intellectual History. Thus the index includes entries for Thomas Aquinas, Karl Marx, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, and Kant, but none for Proudhon, Thoreau, Gandhi, Sorel, LaVey, or Mao. Hitler is mentioned only three times as a sort of bug-a-boo, without attempting to engage his philosophy, and Stalin and Mussolini (by far the more theoretical writer) aren't engaged at all.

In short, this book is fine at what it attempts to do: give students a very basic grounding in intellectual discussion on the human condition and offer them some tools in developing their own ideas. This does not make it adequate for anyone wishing to understand political philosophy at a deeper level; even for those philosophers which are mentioned, more digging is necessary to achieve real comprehension. This book alone will get you through most coffee-house or cocktail-party discussions of political philosophy, but it won't get you to the point of being able to write a good research paper.

[ali amidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

نویسنده با مطرح کردن پرسش های اساسی در اندیشه سیاسی و گریزهای گهگاهی به تفکرات اندیشمندان بزرگ سعی در ارایه ایده های مختلف به مخاطب - که دانشجویان علوم سیاسی هستند- دارد. هدف اصلی کتاب آشنایی مخاطب با مفهوم پرسش گری و ایده پردازی در علوم سیاسی است که با مثال های متعدد از حیات فکر و اندیشه همراه شده است. کتاب خصوصا به دانشجویان دوره کارشناسی علوم سیاسی توصیه می شود. ترجمه خوبی دارد.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exploration of political thought from Plato and Socrates thru the ages until modern times. It demonstrates haow attitudes about differ types of government have evolved.

[Se]

Highly recommended for anyone looking for a nightstand book. It covers diverse topics in a fair and surprisingly thorough manor.

[aubrey]

i think, personally, that finishing this book gives me the irrefutable right to turn my brain off for the rest of forever

[Talha Koseoglu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introductory text for those interested in political theory. Tinder explains and evaluates a great deal of ideas about lots of themes ranging from human nature debates to government's responsibilities, from conceptions of justice to notion of socio-historical change discussed within the tradition of Western political thought. Well-read students of political science may find it a bit trivial, but it is good to see all these themes and questions -together, in a condensed way in a single book- that have troubled philosophers and political thinkers for more than two millennia. Last but not least, I find the question-oriented approach of Tinder, already evident in the title of the book, much more useful and stimulating in thinking about politics.

[Erik]

Recommended by James Schall in Another Sort of Learning, Chapter 5, as one of Eight Books on Christianity and Political Thought.

Recommended by James Schall in Another Sort of Learning, Chapter 8, as one of Seven Books on the Limits of Politics.

[Marcelo Perezfecto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting approach in a comprehensive way. Helps you understand the motivation, dynamics and puzzles of society and politics through history. I think we pay too much attention to the effects of politics and not enough to its causes, and that's precisely what makes this book so relevant.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult read. Makes you think. A lot. A little too much.