Political Philosophy in the Twenty-First Century: Essential Essays

by Steven M. Cahn

Moving beyond the work of Rawls and his critics, this concise collection contains critical essays in contemporary political philosophy. All have been chosen for their importance and accessibility, and some have been edited by their authors for inclusion in this work. Political Philosophy in the Twenty-First Century covers five main equality, justice, liberty, democracy, and human rights. To assist readers, the editors have also provided section introduction and study questions as well as an overall introduction explaining the background to contemporary work in political philosophy. Beginning where most other anthologies in political philosophy conclude, this book can be used alone or in conjunction with any collection of historical sources.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Academic, Political Science

303 pages, Paperback

First published December 2, 2004

About the author

Steven M. Cahn, Ph.D. (Philosophy, Columbia University, 1966; A.B., Columbia College, 1963), teaches academic ethics, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of education at the Graduate Center and has published widely in the field of philosophy and education.

Cahn joined the Graduate Center as professor of philosophy and dean of graduate studies in 1983. He was named provost and vice president for academic affairs in 1984, remaining in that position until 1992. He previously taught at Dartmouth College, Vassar College, the University of Rochester, New York University, and the University of Vermont, where from 1973 to 1980 he headed the department of philosophy. He held executive positions with the Exxon Education Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and he is longtime president of the John Dewey Foundation.

Reviews

[Charles Theiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

To preface this review, here's my background concerning politics and philosophy. I entered my undergrad in 2018 as a social work major wanting to minor in psychology. I quickly found I really didn't like psychology and ended up in Germany my sophomore year having no idea what I wanted to do in terms of a career. Thankfully by the end of my stay in Berlin, with the help of a new friend and some excellent teachers, I found that I was truly fascinated by politics and should have turned to philosophy, not psychology, to answer some of these big questions I had. I picked up a copy of this book and I have been making my way through it ever since.
The fact that most of these are abridged is a blessing. If you're new to philosophy, the massive paragraphs with old language are like Sisyphus's boulder. Each author is also begun with a commentary from an expert. This is very helpful in giving context.
My single complaint (or rather suggestion) is more commentary on individual writings. Especially for a student new to this area, noting very important sections or brief explanations of why something is monumental or historically significant would be more helpful than the introduction to the author.
Overall, this work is a well edited introduction to political thought especially for those who don't have the time, money or extra credits to take a philosophy course about politics. (I changed my minor to politics, so I could only fit in the social science aspect. Besides those courses I could only take my social work major courses)

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being fed up with our current state of politics, I wanted to learn more about political philosophy. What other ideas exist? What have others thought about the problems of governing. So I went and rented this book.

If you are interested in the topic then this book is great. It covers key documents from a variety of key philosophers, over a large time period, that have written and influenced thinking on all things political. It includes classics from Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Machievlli, Hobbes, Locke, Smith and Rousseau. As well as more modern philosophers like Marx, Berlin, Rawls, Nozick and Sandel. This is a non-exhaustive list.

Each entry has an introduction that helps the reader establish context for the document excerpts. It often includes key points and what major ideas influenced the philosopher, including who/what they drew on, and who/what they might be arguing against.

Each excerpt was sizeable so it let the reader experience the document and read large sections in context.

I did not read this cover to cover but probably read 70% of it. It was interesting to see how ideas shaped others and how they evolved over time. One of the interesting insights was that many philosophers wrote on ethics as well and then leveraged these ideas into how to organize and govern a group of people.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice, varied selection of readings. Hobbes and Rousseau were my favorites.

[Mills College Library]

320.01 P7693 2015