Customer Reviews

The Palgrave Macmillan Dictionary of Political Thought

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In yet another year of 30 second sound bites that we are asked to believe represent well thought out positions on substantive issues, I would recommend this book as an unbiased source for finding out what such words as "liberalism" and "conservatism" really mean.

This reference book goes much deeper than mere definitions in its discussions of everything from the philosophies of Kierkegaard and Heidegger, as they relate to political thinking, to such diverse concepts as "infrastructure," "political economy," and "due process." There are over 1500 entries in all, and each one sheds some light on terms that are bandied about, and frequently misunderstood, by politicians seeking support. There are also many other terms, some common and some obscure, that are discussed.

I think that any reader could benefit by reading the discussions under the aforementioned topics of "Liberalism" and "Conservatism." There might be some surprises awaiting that reader. There is a lot more, and sometimes a lot less, substance than is commonly understood about these political philosophies. Neither discussion fits the negative images presented by the opponents of each of these political philosophies. There seem to be negatives and positives to both.

There is also an excellent discussions on the subject of existentialism and its meaning in the context of late 20th century and early 21st century politics.

Just a few other ideas of what awaits the user of A DICTIONARY OF POLITICAL THOUGHT:

An excellent discussion on the subject of "education" as the process whereby a rational being is instructed and the political implications of this instruction.

A discussion of the concepts of a political party and what distinguishes a party from a faction.

There's much more to this dictionary which might be better defined as an encyclopedia. I think that, during any campaign year, this book, with its many definitions and concept clarifications should be at one's side whenever he or she is listening to any campaign rhetoric.

This dictionary is especially good. This is because it was written entirely by Roger Scruton, one of the most distinguished political philosophers of modern times.
He says the aim of the dictionary has been " to extract, both from active debate, and from the theories and intuitions which surround it, the principal ideas through which modern political beliefs find expression. The emphasis of the dictionary is conceptual rather than factual, exploring the formuation of docrtines rather than specific application. Political events are mentioned only when they cast light on intellectual conceptions."

While Scruton's latest books are fluffy right wing stuff written in his present incarnation as the Country Life/Spectator court philosopher, this is a towering achievement. Comprehensive and informative, it is in my view the best single reference to politics there is, and should be a standard reference book.

This is great for anyone but for me it has been incredibly useful for the public policy area!