The Nature of Politics

by Roger D. Masters

Relates politics to the fields of evolutionary biology, social psychology, linguistics, and game theory and looks at the influence of language on politics

315 pages, Hardcover

First published September 10, 1989

Reviews

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published a couple decades ago, but it remains relevant today. For those who read it when it first came out, it's worth a reread. For those who aren't familiar with this volume, take a look at it for the first time.

Roger Masters is ambitious in his aim--to use a conception of human nature based on evolutionary theory as a springboard for explaining political phenomena. Few people in the discipline of political science have the breadth of knowledge to attermpt this task.

A look at the topics in the book illustrates: Masters explores the roots of altruism, bonding, aggression, society and language to explore, as the title of a key chapter has it, "politics as a biological phenomenon." As a philosopher, it is unsurprising that he uses his evolutionary framework to explore the nature of the state. He concludes this volume by examining some political phenomena in more detail.

All in all, this volume is as relevant today as when it came out.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice analysis by Roger Masters of the biology of politics. He explores various aspects of the linkage between these two realms. A thought provoking volume.

[Oolalaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

11/20