Customer Reviews

An Introduction to Political Philosophy (Opus S.)

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I found this to be a great introduction to political philosophy. In an unbiased manner, Jonathan Wolff reviews the central ideas that are fundamental to the field: the state of nature, how one justifies the formation of the state, how to pick rulers, liberty, distribution of property, individualism, justice, rights, democracy, utilitarianism, and social contracts. He also reviews ideas of the major thinkers -- Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, etc. The book is organized by TOPIC, not by thinker, which is a format that I find was best suited for learning & for tying different thinker's ideas together. The writing is clear, simple, and chatty; it seems to have been written for college freshman. The only minor fault is that the book does not cover some major figures in political theory that I would have included: Aristotle & Machiavelli were not mentioned, for example. However, overall, I'd recommend this book. I'm keeping it on my bookself for reference.

This was required reading for my philosophy class. It is very thorough, but still understandable. This book is at the base of my entire understanding of political philosophy, and I still rely on it from time to time. For anyone in philosophy, Lincoln-Douglas debate, or just are interested, READ THIS!

Jo Wolff provides a very lucid and wide-ranging introduction to the issues of political philosophy, interspersing theoretical issues with helpful and illuminating analogies. Highly recommended for the newcomer to the subject, and an enticing stimulus for anyone who has ever considered the foundations of political theory. Even if you haven't, this book is a great introduction to a fascinating and increasingly popular subject.

This is probably the best introduction available, being lucid and succinct, it also takes just the right approach to the subject for the beginner. Instead of a chapter by chapter guide to the main thinkers or theories, Wolff cleverly structures the book in such a way that the student is gently coaxed into exploring the fundamental questions of political philosophy for himself.

The author notes at the beginning that it is sometimes said that 'who gets what?' and 'who says so?' are the only two questions of importance in the subject. Whilst denying this to be entirely the case, Wolff puts these questions firmly into intial context by asking why we need the state at all and then proceeds to ask if we do need the state, who indeed should govern it? He then explores the issue of the distribution of goods before returning to the 'who says who gets what?' and by the end of the book the reader should be able to explore that question through the lenses of the competing theories of today, such as feminism or communitarianism.

I was lucky enough to have the author as one of my lecturers at university and, indeed, to take my tutorials in political philosophy in my final year. As a working class student with zero self-esteem and who was failing abjectly to mix within the rarefied air of an elite university, Mr Wolff (unlike certain snobs and marxist posers) admirably strived to boost my confidence and every student found his tutorials and lectures to be models of patience and clarity. This book is imbubed with those qualities throughout and thus can't be recommended highly enough. Whether you are a high school student or a 1st year undergraduate, this book will have you asking the right questions and should put you in the perfect position to look in closer detail at the major issues.

This book was a requirement for my Political Science class, so naturally I went in dreading it. However, I was pleasantly surprised how accessible and understandable this book was. Jonathan Wolff lays out the basics of the early theorists of political philosophy excellently. He takes every argument, states it in a very simple, easy to understand manner, and then provides the counterpoint and typically lists one critic of the idea. He does this throughout the book so the reader can make up his/her mind which side is right. Wolff does an outstanding job of staying as unbiased as one can when it comes to politics.

If you are a college student as I am about to read this, don't worry, it will be a breath of fresh air in comparison to all of the other books from other classes.

This is a very good introduction...I mean VERY good. I have not finished it yet but I can tell you that it is written in such a way that you really get all the substance without sweat...and also..you simply do not want to put the book down...really a page turner. They way Mr Wolff presents the differents views on each issue is excellent!!!

Interested in Political Philosophy??? This should be your book of choice.

The book came faster than i ever expected and i will definitely buy from this merchant again. I bought the book used, but it came in fine condition. I'm very satisfied with the order!

This is an excellent introduction to a very tough subject. Jonathan Wolff takes the reader through the very beginnings of political thought and philosophies on what is the State, why do we need the State, and all the way through all of the different questions that have concerned political philosophers since Ancient Greece. The author does a very good job of keeping the material engaging and explaining the various theories and methods at arriving at said theories without ever specifically endorsing one single theory.