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Inventors of Ideas: Introduction to Western Political Philosophy
A concise yet comprehensive introduction to the Western political thought from the Ancient Greeks to the 21st century, INVENTORS OF IDEAS connects major thinkers' political and societal views to a larger understanding of current politics. Covering the traditional canon of writers while also reflecting a concern or emphasis upon the role of gender and science in western political thought, the book gives students practical and historical foundations with which to look at contemporary social and political issues.
380 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 21, 2009
Want a nice, relatively brief introduction to Western political philosophy? Tannenbaum and Schultz have written such a work. I used it as the organizing text (along with a fat book of selections from major Western philosophers over the ages) the one time that I taught a course on Western political philosophy. It worked well; students seemed to enjoy this volume (and there is now a newer edition, but I haven't read that yet).
The authors define the purpose of the book thus (Page xv): "The overall aim of the book is to discuss concisely the views of over thirty major Western political thinkers in order to demonstrate how their views about politics and society are crucial to understanding the politics of our time." Do they succeed? Each reader must decide for him or herself, but I think it does its work pretty well. The book looks at a number of themes for different thinkers--the individual versus the collectivity/group/state, what approach to philosophy the thinker exemplifies (from ancient to postmodern), and so on. There is not much space to allot to each thinker, but--overall--the reader will get a decent sense of the key points of each thinker.
The first chapter lays out the themes of the book and provides a general background to political philosophy. I especially enjoyed the second chapter, covering a subject not necessarily typical of such works--the playwrights of Athens (I once signed a contract to write a book on politics, and spent about 1/4 of an early chapter on Greek drama and myth). Sophocles and Aristophanes provide a perspective on key issues of the day, and help set the stage for what follows.
Plato and Aristotle are two of the major theorists of the ages, and each is allocated a full chapter. Other chapters (and this is not an exhaustive listing) focus on Roman thought, Medieval political thought (e.g., St. Augustine), John of Salisbury, and Marsiglio of Padua. Modern Thought is introduced in this volume by considering Machiavelli, early scientific thinkers (e.g., Bacon, Descartes, and Newton), Hobbes, Locke, and so on. One interesting wrinkle: A chapter on Mary Wollstonecraft. The consideration of Modern thinkers ends with Marx. The final section is just one chapter long--on postmodern thinkers, with discussion of some of the origins. Here, Freud and Nietzsche are featured as prologue. One disappointment here (although some readers would find it a strength!): there is very little discussion of contemporary postmodern thinkers, such that one would not get much of a sense of the recent body of work.
Anyhow, this is a strong introductory volume. Were I to assign myself to teach this course again, I would probably use the newest edition of this text. I thought it was that useful--and students even liked it!
The authors define the purpose of the book thus (Page xv): "The overall aim of the book is to discuss concisely the views of over thirty major Western political thinkers in order to demonstrate how their views about politics and society are crucial to understanding the politics of our time." Do they succeed? Each reader must decide for him or herself, but I think it does its work pretty well. The book looks at a number of themes for different thinkers--the individual versus the collectivity/group/state, what approach to philosophy the thinker exemplifies (from ancient to postmodern), and so on. There is not much space to allot to each thinker, but--overall--the reader will get a decent sense of the key points of each thinker.
The first chapter lays out the themes of the book and provides a general background to political philosophy. I especially enjoyed the second chapter, covering a subject not necessarily typical of such works--the playwrights of Athens (I once signed a contract to write a book on politics, and spent about 1/4 of an early chapter on Greek drama and myth). Sophocles and Aristophanes provide a perspective on key issues of the day, and help set the stage for what follows.
Plato and Aristotle are two of the major theorists of the ages, and each is allocated a full chapter. Other chapters (and this is not an exhaustive listing) focus on Roman thought, Medieval political thought (e.g., St. Augustine), John of Salisbury, and Marsiglio of Padua. Modern Thought is introduced in this volume by considering Machiavelli, early scientific thinkers (e.g., Bacon, Descartes, and Newton), Hobbes, Locke, and so on. One interesting wrinkle: A chapter on Mary Wollstonecraft. The consideration of Modern thinkers ends with Marx. The final section is just one chapter long--on postmodern thinkers, with discussion of some of the origins. Here, Freud and Nietzsche are featured as prologue. One disappointment here (although some readers would find it a strength!): there is very little discussion of contemporary postmodern thinkers, such that one would not get much of a sense of the recent body of work.
Anyhow, this is a strong introductory volume. Were I to assign myself to teach this course again, I would probably use the newest edition of this text. I thought it was that useful--and students even liked it!
July 12, 2008
Gotta love Tannenbaum, that crazy, crazy man. Intro. to Political Thought was horrific, but it's almost a (red) badge of courage (lol, book joke) to make it through. This book is very well-organized and precise.
April 22, 2023
A good textbook. Engaging at times, but some parts drag on and get a bit boring.
Want to read
January 15, 2019very interesting and clear publich about political thoughts
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews