The social contract theorists : critical essays on Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau / edited by Christopher W. Morris.

Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
Lanham, Md. : Rowman & Littlefield, c1999.
Description
xiv, 244 p. ; 24 cm.

Copies in the Library

Location Call Number Status
ReCAP - Remote StorageJC336 .S526 1999 Browse related items Request

    Details

    Subject(s)
    Related name
    Series
    Critical essays on the classics. [More in this series]
    Summary note
    This reader introduces students of philosophy and politics to the contemporary critical literature on the classical social contract theorists: Thomas Hobbes (1599-1697), John Locke (1632-1704), and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). Twelve thoughtfully selected essays guide students through the texts, familiarizing them with key elements of the theory, while at the same time introducing them to current scholarly controversies. A bibliography of additional work is provided. The classical social contract theorists represent one of the two or three most important modern traditions in political thought. Their ideas dominated political debates in Europe and North America in the 17th and 18th centuries, influencing political thinkers, statesmen, constitution makers, revolutionaries, and other political actors alike. Debates during the French Revolution and the early history of the American Republic were often conducted in the language of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau. Later political philosophy can only be understood against this backdrop. And the contemporary revival of contractarian moral and political thought, represented by John Rawls' A Theory of Justice (1971) or David GauthierOs Morals by Agreement (1986), needs to be appreciated in the history of this tradition. -- Amazon.com.
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references.
    Action note
    Committed to retain in perpetuity — ReCAP Shared Collection (HUL)
    Contents
    • Hobbes's war of all against all / Gregory S. Kavka
    • Hobbes's "Mortall God": is there a fallacy in Hobbes's theory of sovereignty? / M.M. Goldsmith
    • The failure of Hobbes's social contract argument / Jean Hampton
    • Hobbes's social contract / David Gauthier
    • Why ought one obey God? Reflections on Hobbes and Locke / David Gauthier
    • Locke's state of nature / A. John Simmons
    • Political consent / A. John Simmons
    • Structure, choice, and legitimacy: Locke's theory of the state / Joshua Cohen
    • A possible explanation of Rousseau's general will / Patrick Riley
    • Reflections on Rousseau: autonomy and democracy / Joshua Cohen
    • Rousseau, the problem of sovereignty and the limits of political obligation / John Charvet
    • The general will / Arthur Ripstein.
    ISBN
    • 0847689069 (cloth : alk. paper)
    • 0847689077 (pbk. : alk. paper)
    LCCN
    ^^^98037119^
    OCLC
    39724161
    RCP
    H - S
    Statement on language in description
    Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage. Read more...