The Great Political Theories, Vol. 1 [Mass Market Paperback]

Michael Curtis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1981

The philosophy of politics

As an introduction to political theory and science, this collection of writings by the great philosophers will be of close interest to general readers. It also forms a basic textbook for students of government and political theory. Such fundamental concepts as Democracy, the Rule of Law, Justice, Natural Rights, Sovereignty, Citizenship, Power, the State, Revolution, Liberty, Reason, Materialism, Toleration, and the Place of Religion in Society are traced from their origins, through their development and changing patterns, to show how they guide political thinking and institutions today.

And new in this edition, examinations of selected works by Sophocles, Francois Hotman, and Francisco Suarez. Also new are a detailed table of contents and an up-dated, comprehensive bibliography--each clear and concise for easy reference.

The second volume of Professor Curtis' work, also available in a Discus edition, includes the writings of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth century thinkers--from Burke, Rousseau, and Kant to modern times.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Curtis is Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University, and has taught at several other institutions, including Yale University, Cornell University, Oberlin College and the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Curtis has written and edited over fifteen books in the fields of comparative politics, political theory, and Middle East affairs.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Avon (February 1, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380007851
• ISBN-13: 978-0380007851
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #397,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Right!, March 11, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Michigan State University, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Political Theories, Vol. 1 (Mass Market Paperback)

I think that this book is prefaced well and in those terms serves the reader to the full extent promised. The book basically gives an over view of early political theory through excerpts from excellent selected texts. It is a fair cross-section of political treatises providing it fits into one book that is for the novice. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent survey of western political thought, April 9, 2005

By 

grapabo (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Political Theories, Vol. 1 (Mass Market Paperback)

In the introduction, Curtis writes this as the essence of the subject of these books:

"The core of political philosophy has always been the study of those central institutions, organizations and personnel that have the power to issue directions and rules, and the relationship of the governed to government. The recurring problems of political philosophy are those concerning the nature of society, law, obligation, rights, duties, command, responsiblity and obedience. In modern theory, there has been a preoccupation with sovereignty, power, influence, and groups."

Over the course of both volumes, Curtis presents a methodical layout of these issues, starting with the ancient Greeks to modern times, and it lives up to the aspirations stated up front. The ebb and flow of the often multiple jurisdictions and centers of power within a state often bring about the same questions in different eras. What rights do an individual have against the power of the state, and from where does this power derive?

A related question to this necessarily involves what the proper role a citizen or group has within the government, whether they should be identified solely as one of the whole, or whether they are members of a higher order, or whether their primary identity should be derived as biological and rational animals under the laws of nature.

As evidence that this is concerned only with theory and not history (where some leaders may have corrupted the theory), Marxism and nationalism, two of the most often-arising philsophies of the 20th century, are only given brief treatment, and even then, only on its merits as a theory, not practice.

The publishing date of the book may require some revisions of the organization of the later chapters, but for a brief two-volume collection of the writings on political philsophy, this book is a good buy.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Overview, May 7, 2007

By 

Simi Ed (Simi Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Political Theories, Vol. 1 (Mass Market Paperback)

I highly recommend this volume for its breadth of coverage as an intro or a refresher. It enables the reader to get many of th ebasisc to use as a springboard to a further analysis of the philospohers one desires to read in greater detail. I am now reading Vol. 2.