Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy [Paperback]

Steven M. Cahn (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195140915 | ISBN-13: 978-0195140910 | Publication Date: November 22, 2001 | Edition: 1st

Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy provides in one volume the major writings from nearly 2,500 years of political and moral philosophy. The most comprehensive collection of its kind, it moves from classical thought (Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Cicero) through medieval views (Augustine, Aquinas) to modern perspectives (Machiavelli, Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Rousseau, Hume, Adam Smith, Kant). It includes major nineteenth-century thinkers (Hegel, Bentham, Mill, Nietzsche) as well as twentieth-century theorists (Rawls, Nozick, Nagel, Foucault, Habermas, Nussbaum). Also included are numerous essays from The Federalist Papers and a variety of notable documents and addresses, among them Pericles' Funeral Oration, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and speeches by Edmund Burke, Abraham Lincoln, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, John Dewey, and Martin Luther King, Jr. The readings are substantial or complete texts, not fragments.
An especially valuable feature of this volume is that the works of each author are introduced with a substantive and engaging essay by a leading contemporary authority. These introductions include Richard Kraut on Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, and Cicero; Paul J. Weithman on Augustine and Aquinas; Roger D. Masters on Machiavelli; Jean Hampton on Hobbes; Steven B. Smith on Spinoza and Hegel; A. John Simmons on Locke; Joshua Cohen on Rousseau and Rawls; Donald W. Livingston on Hume; Charles L. Griswold, Jr., on Smith; Bernard E. Brown on Hamilton and Madison; Jeremy Waldron on Bentham and Mill; Paul Guyer on Kant; Richard Miller on Marx and Engels; Richard Schacht on Nietzsche; Thomas Christiano on Nozick; John Deigh on Nagel; Thomas A. McCarthy on Foucault and Habermas; and Eva Feder Kittay on Nussbaum. Offering unprecedented breadth of coverage, Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy is an ideal text for courses in social and political philosophy, moral philosophy, or surveys in Western civilization.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a fine reader for any course in ethics or political philosophy. It contains well-edited readings along with introductions by leading philosophers. Beginning students will find this a very user-friendly text, and advanced students will benefit from the breadth of readings."--Ted Vaggalis, Drury University

About the Author

Steven M. Cahn is at City University of New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1211 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, Inc.; 1st edition (November 22, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195140915
• ISBN-13: 978-0195140910
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven M. Cahn a Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York Graduate Center in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Classics of political and moral philosophy, December 11, 2011

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Linda Ann Atty - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy (Paperback)

Love it! Great book, I bought it for my political theory class (it was required), but this book has everything in it. I am not going to resell it, as it will be a great reference for future courses.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too much editing, August 31, 2010

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Collis Huntington "Hyawatha" (Owensboro, KY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy (Paperback)

The full contents in the front pages of the book "Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy" by Steven M. Cahn is inadequate. You have to go to the titles on the individual pages to find the author of the translation and whether it has been edited or not. Without a proper description of the contents you do not know what you are getting. "Classics Of Political and Moral Philosophy" by Steven M. Cahn does not always have a full translation of a Philosophical work. I liked "Classics of Moral and Political Theory" edited by Micheal L. Morgan better. I feel that "Classics of Moral and Political Theory" edited by Micheal L. Morgan book has more completed works then Steven's. I felt I got my money's worth with Micheal's book. Steven's book is more political than Micheal's and has more titles. "Classics of Moral and Political Theory" edited by Micheal L. Morgan has 1249 pages. "Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy" by Steven M. Cahn has 1211 pages. I have bought both books from Amazon.
The Contents of my present 2002 copyright edition addition of Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy edited by Steven M. Cahn is as follows:
PREFACE
PLATO
"Introduction" by Richard Kraut
"Defence on Socrates", and "Crito" translated by David Gallop.
"Republic" Translated by John Llewelyn Davies and David then revised by Andrea Tschemplik.
"Statesman" translated by J.B Skemp.
ARISTOTLE
"Introduction" by Richard Kraut
"Nicomachean Ethics" translated by W.D Ross then revised by J.L. Ackrill and J.O. Urmson.
"Politics" translated by Ernest Barker then revised by R.F. Stalley.
EPICURUS
"Introduction" by Richard Kraut
"Letters to Menoeceus" and "Principal Doctrines" translated by Cyril Bailey.
CICERO
"Introduction" by Richard Kraut
"On the Republic" and "On the Laws" translated by Clinton Walker Keyes.
AUGUSTINE
"Introduction" by Paul J. Weithman
"The City of God" translated by R. W. Dyson.
THOMAS AQUINAS
"Introduction" by Paul J. Weithman
"Summa Theologiae" contains the following
"Question 90: Of the Essence of Law", "Question 91: Of the various kinds of law", "Question 94: of the natural Law", "Question 95: Of Human Law", "Question 96: Of the power of human law", "Question 97: Of change in laws".
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI
"Introduction" by Roger D. Master
"The Prince" ch I to XXV tranlated by Peter Bondanella and Mark Musa.
"Discourses" translated by Leslie Walker, S.J.
THOMAS HOBBES
"Introduction" by Jean Hampton
"Leviathan"
BARUCH SPINOZA
"Introduction" by Steven B. Smith
"Theologico-Political Treatise" translated by R.H.M. Elwes.
JOHN LOCKE
"Introduction" by A. John Simmons
"Second Treatise of Government" and "Letter concerning Toleration"
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU
"Introduction" by Joshua Cohen
"Discourse on the origin of Inequality" translated by G.D.H. Cole then revised by J.H. Brumfitt and John C. Hall and updated by P.D. Jimack.
"Of the Social Contract" translated by Charles M. Sherover
DAVID HUME
"Introduction" by Donald W. Livingston
"A Treatise of Human Nature", "Of Parties in General" and "Of the Original Contract"
ADAM SMITH
"Introduction" by Charles L. Griswold, Jr
"The Theory of Moral Sentiments" and "The Weath of Nations"
ALEXANDER HAMILTON and JAMES MADISON
"Introduction" by Bernard E. Brown
"The Federalist Papers"
JEREMY BENTHAM
"Introduction" by Jeremy Waldron
"Principles of Legislation" translated by Richard Hildreth
IMMANUEL KANT
Introduction by Paul Guyer
"Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals" translated by Thomas K. Abbott (1873)
"On the Common saying: [This May be True in Theory but It Does Not apply in Practice]" translated by H.B. Nisbet
G.W.F. HEGEL
"Introduction" by Steven B. Smith
"Philosophy of Right" translated by T.M. Knox (1942)
"The Philosophy of History" translated by J.Sibree
KARL MARX and FRIEDRICH ENGELS
"Introduction" by Richard Miller
"Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844" Translated by Martin Milligan
"The German Ideology" Edited by C.J. Arthur
"Manifesto of the Communist Party"
"A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy" Translated by S. W. Ryazanskaya
"Socialism: Utopian and Scientific" translated by Edward Aveling
JOHN STUART MILL
"Introduction" by Jeremy Waldron
"Utilitarianism", "On Liberty", "Considerations on Representative Government" and "The Subjection of Women"
FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE
"Introduction" by Richard Schacht
"Human, All Too Human" 5 Tokens of higher and lower culture 224,472,473; The wander and his shadow 284 translated by R.J.Hollingdale.
"Those Spoke Zarathustra" First Part On the new Idol; Third Part On old and new tablets 11,12 Forth Part On the Higher Man 1,2 translated by Walter Kaufmann.
"Beyond Good and Evil" Section five 202,203. Section nine 257,258,259,260,262 translated by Marion Faber.
"On the Genealogy of Morals" Second Essay 1,2,16 , 17 translated by Douglas Smith
"Twilight of the Idols" chpt The 'Improvers' of Humanity 1,2,3,5 then Reconnaissance Raids of an Untimely man 37, 38, 48, 49 translated by Duncan Large.
JOHN RAWLS
"Introduction" by Joshua Cohen
"A Theory of Justice" ch 3,4,5, 11,13,17,24,26,40.
ROBERT NOZICK
"Introduction" by Thomas Christiano
"Anarchy, State, and Utopia" ch 7.
THOMAS NAGEL
"Introduction" by John Deigh.
"Equality and Partiality" ch 1,10,11.
MICHEL FOUCAULT
"Introduction" by Thomas A. McCarthy
"Power/Knowledge" Lecture one and two translated by Colin Gordon,Leo Marshall, John Mepham, and Kate Soper.
JURGEN HABERMAS
"Introduction" by Thomas A. McCarthy
"Three Normative Models of Democracy", I,II,II, "On the Internal Relation Between the Rule of Law and Democracy",1,2,3,4,5
MARTHA C. NUSSBAUM
"Introduction" by Eva Feder Kittay
"The Feminist Critique of Liberalism"
DOCUMENTS AND ADDRESSES
PERICLES
"Funeral Oration" translated by Richard Livingstone
EDMUND BURKE
"Speech to the Electors of Bistol"
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
THE DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MAN AND OF THE CITIZEN
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
"First inaugural Address", "Gettyburg Address", "Second Inaugural Address"
ELIZABETH CADY STANTON
"The Solitude of Self" edited by Beth M. Waggonspack
JOHN DEWEY
"Democracy"
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
"Letter from a Birmingham City Jail"
"The March on Washington Address"

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview of Philosophy and Philosophers, July 10, 2009

By 

S. Stevenson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy (Paperback)

I used this product for my philosophical foundations course for my masters in Bioethics. I enjoyed the introduction to each philosopher at the beginning of the chapters and the text was easy to read. The only critiques I have is about the book layout, it is columned, which leaves very little room for margin comments.