eBook

Great books, bad arguments

Runciman, W. G

2010

Overview

Plato's Republic, Hobbes's Leviathan, and Marx's Communist Manifesto are universally acknowledged classics of Western political thought. But how strong are the core arguments on which they base their visions of the good society that they want to bring into being? In this lively and provocative book, W. G. Runciman shows where and why they fail, even after due allowance has been made for the different historical contexts in which they wrote. Plato, Hobbes, and Marx were all passionately convinced that justice, peace, and order could be established if only their teachings were implemented and the right people put into power. But Runciman makes a powerful case to the effect that all three were irredeemably naive in their assumptions about how human societies function and evolve and how human behavior could be changed. Yet despite this, Runciman insists that Republic, Leviathan, and The Communist Manifesto remain great books. Born of righteous anger and frustration, they are masterfully eloquent pleas for better worlds--worlds that Plato, Hobbes, and Marx cannot bring themselves to admit to be unattainable.

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Subject: 1588-1679 / 1818-1883 / A Theory of Justice / Ad hominem / Altruism / Ambiguity / Analogy / Anti-capitalism / Authoritarianism / Bourgeoisie / Breach of contract / Bribery / Bullshit / Capitalism / Class conflict / Classless society / Communism / Comparative analysis / Conceptualization / Crime / Criticism / Defection / Demagogue / Democracy / Disadvantage / Dissent / English / Eugenics / Good and evil / Great books / Hedonism / Henchman / History of political ideas / Hobbes, Thomas / Hobbes, Thomas, 1588-1679. Leviathan / Hostility / Human behaviour / Illocutionary act / Indictment / Injunction / Injustice / Insubordination / Irrationality / Just society / Leviathan / Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei / Manifesto / Marx, Karl / Marx, Karl, 1818-1883. Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei. English / Multitude / Oligarchy / Opportunism / Ostracism / Overreaction / Pacifism / Pauperism / Philosopher / PHILOSOPHY / PHILOSOPHY / Political / Plato / Plato. Republic / Pleonexia / Polemic / Political / Political philosophy / Political science / Political science -- Philosophy / Political thought / Prejudice / Rebuttal / Republic / Ruler / Scarcity (social psychology) / Sedition / Self-interest / Selfishness / Slavery / Social conflict / SOCIAL SCIENCE / SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General / Sociology / Sophism / Sovereignty / State of nature / Sycophancy / The Communist Manifesto / The Open Society and Its Enemies / The Philosopher / Thomas Hobbes / Timocracy / Tyrant / Unemployment / War
• ISBN: 0691144761, 9780691144764, 9781400834587, 1400834589