What are the intellectual roots of Western liberalism, and what are its strengths and weaknesses? Our interviews on social and political philosophy recommend books that explore these and related questions from every angle.
On a general level two professors of politics, Gary Bass and John Tasioulas both choose their best (and very different) books on the subject of human rights. The philosopher Cecile Fabre chooses hers on war and the ethical dilemmas it throws up. Philosopher Carlos Fraenkel chooses his best books on philosophy in a divided world and Jonathan Wolff, professor of public policy at Oxford, chooses his best books on political philosophy.
Turning specifically to the liberal tradition, historian Eric Foner discusses the evolution of liberalism, focusing on American liberalism over the past 50 years. And Franklin Foer, editor of the New Republic, looks at the roots of liberalism, with a slightly longer perspective. Peter Berkowitz, fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford, talks about liberty and morality. Professor Timothy Stanton chooses his best books on toleration and John Gray, emeritus professor of political thought at the LSE, looks at critiques of utopia and apocalypse. Journalist Trevor Phillips gives us his best books on equality and Will Hutton his on fairness and equality. Maria Sveland talks about feminism, Kurt Barling looks at racism and Kwame Anthony Appiah at honour.
Gary Gutting looks at Foucault and Terrell Carver at Marx and Marxism, arguing that Marx was, in mid-19th-century terms, a liberal. US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer discusses his intellectual influences. Henry Hardy chooses his best books on Isaiah Berlin.
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1
Discourses on Livy
by Niccolo Machiavelli, trans. Harvey Mansfield and Nathan Tarcov -
2
The New Science of Giambattista Vico: Unabridged Translation of the Third Edition (1744)
by Giambattista Vico, trans. Max Harold Fisch and Thomas Goddard Bergin -
3
The History of European Liberalism
by Guido De Ruggiero, trans. R. G. Collingwood -
4
Prison Notebooks
by Antonio Gramsci, trans. Joseph A. Buttigieg and Antonio Callari -
5
Liberalism and Democracy
by Norberto Bobbio, trans. Martin Ryle and Kate Soper
The best books on Italian Political Philosophy, recommended by Guglielmo Verdirame
The best books on Italian Political Philosophy, recommended by Guglielmo Verdirame
Italy has a rich tradition of political philosophy, producing a number of thinkers with both practical experience and a cosmopolitan outlook. Here Guglielmo Verdirame, Professor of International Law at King’s College London, talks us through the five most important Italian political philosophers, and the best books to read to understand their work.
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1
Violence and the Word
by Robert Cover -
2
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
by Michelle Alexander -
3
Black against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party
by Joshua Bloom & Waldo E. Martin Jr. -
4
Critique of Violence
by Walter Benjamin -
5
The Birth of Biopolitics: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1978–1979
by Michel Foucault
The best books on State, Power and Violence, recommended by Geoffroy de Lagasnerie
The best books on State, Power and Violence, recommended by Geoffroy de Lagasnerie
French philosopher and sociologist Geoffroy de Lagasnerie argues for a more realist political theory, one that fully acknowledges that state violence is the one thing in your life that you can never escape. His selection includes works by Michel Foucault and Walter Benjamin, as well as a history of the Black Panther Party.
The best books on War, recommended by Cécile Fabre
If killing is wrong, how can going to war be justified? Is it always wrong to kill civilians? If a Nazi soldier were billeted in your home, should you respond when he greets you? Philosopher Cécile Fabre chooses Five Books that help explore the profound ethical dilemmas of war.
The best books on Foucault, recommended by Gary Gutting
“Do not ask who I am and do not ask me to remain the same,” wrote Michel Foucault; a brilliant transdisciplinarian whose work spanned philosophy, history, social theory and literary criticism. He mined past ways of thinking so as to see present-day assumptions and practices afresh, explains the philosopher Gary Gutting.
The best books on Marx and Marxism, recommended by Terrell Carver
Few people have had their ideas reinvented as many times as the German intellectual and political activist, Karl Marx. Professor of political theory, Terrell Carver, takes us through the most influential books, in English, about Marx, Marxism and his friend, publicist and financial backer, Friedrich Engels.
The best books on Political Philosophy, recommended by Jonathan Wolff
British philosopher Jonathan Wolff chooses five books by thinkers who have shaped the field of political philosophy. He explores the experiences that influenced each writer, saying ‘it’s very rare for philosophers to say very much about their history and what brought them to the views they have’.
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Principles of Social Justice
by David Miller -
2
The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger
by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett -
3
Inequality Reexamined
by Amartya Sen -
4
Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten The World Economy
by Raghuram G Rajan -
5
Chavs
by Owen Jones
The best books on Fairness and Inequality, recommended by Will Hutton
The best books on Fairness and Inequality, recommended by Will Hutton
What is the difference between fairness and equality? In contemporary capitalist societies, some inequality is inevitable and desirable. But the rewards for the few at the top have soared while the rest have been squeezed. Is this fair? We need a new social contract, says the author and columnist
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Sharp’s Dictionary of Power and Struggle
by Gene Sharp -
2
Defeating Authoritarian Leaders in Postcommunist Countries
by Valerie Bunce and Sharon Wolchik -
3
Why Civil Resistance Works
by Erica Chenoweth and Maria J Stephan -
4
People Power and Political Change
by April Carter -
5
The Lady and the Peacock
by Peter Popham