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Philosophy » Social & Political Philosophy

Most Recommended Books

On Liberty by John Stuart Mill

“Mill points out that very often, throughout history, people have thought that they were certainly right, and then turned out to be quite wrong.”

Peter Singer, Philosopher

Read more

Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument With Historical Illustrations by Michael Walzer

“I should say that I disagree with many of the claims that Walzer makes in the book”

Cécile Fabre, Philosopher

Read more

Browse book recommendations:

Philosophy

  • Ancient Philosophy
  • Beliefs
  • Ethics & Moral Philosophy
  • Great Philosophers
  • How to Live
  • Philosophical Issues & Topics
  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Philosophy of...
  • Social & Political Philosophy
  • The Enlightenment

    Peter Singer on Nineteenth-Century Philosophy

  • Read

    1

    Phenomenology of Spirit
    by A. V. Miller & G. W. F. Hegel

  • Read

    2

    The Communist Manifesto
    by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

  • Read

    3

    On Liberty
    by John Stuart Mill

  • Read

    4

    The Descent of Man
    by Charles Darwin

  • Read

    5

    The Methods of Ethics
    by Henry Sidgwick

Peter Singer on Nineteenth-Century Philosophy

The nineteenth century saw not only a widespread interest in philosophical ideas but also philosophy’s development as a more rigorous discipline. Australian philosopher Peter Singer introduces us to the highlights of a century of philosophy books.

    The best books on Foucault, recommended by Gary Gutting

  • Read

    1

    How to Read Foucault
    by Johanna Oksala

  • Read

    2

    The Philosophy of Foucault
    by Todd May

  • Read

    3

    Bodies and Pleasures: Foucault and the Politics of Sexual Normalization
    by Ladelle McWhorter

  • Read

    4

    The Cambridge Foucault Lexicon
    by (ed.) Leonard Lawlor and John Nale

  • Read

    5

    The Lives of Michel Foucault
    by David Macey

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 War, recommended by Cécile Fabre

  • Read

    1

    War and Peace
    by Leo Tolstoy

  • Read

    2

    All quiet on the Western Front
    by Erich Maria Remarque

  • Read

    3

    Le silence de la mer
    by Vercors

  • Read

    4

    Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument With Historical Illustrations
    by Michael Walzer

  • Read

    5

    Killing in War
    by Jeff McMahan

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 Marx and Marxism, recommended by Terrell Carver

  • Read

    1

    Karl Marx
    by Isaiah Berlin

  • Read

    2

    Karl Marx: His Life and Thought
    by David McLellan

  • Read

    3

    Karl Marx's Theory of History
    by G. A. Cohen

  • Read

    4

    The Young Karl Marx
    by David Leopold

  • Read

    5

    Karl Marx: A Nineteenth-Century Life
    by Jonathan Sperber

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 Racism, recommended by Kurt Barling

  • Read
    the open society and its enemies

    1

    The Open Society and its Enemies
    by Karl Popper

  • Read
    black skin white masks

    2

    Black Skin, White Masks
    by Frantz Fanon

  • Read

    3

    The Language of Genes
    by Steve Jones

  • Read
    ordeal of integration

    4

    The Ordeal of Integration
    by Orlando Patterson

  • Read

    5

    The Ethics of Identity
    by Kwame Anthony Appiah

The best books on Racism, recommended by Kurt Barling

When scientists devised classifications of race in the 18th century, they envisioned it as a hierarchy with Europeans on top. But the concept of ‘race’ is misleading and inaccurate, says the veteran broadcaster Kurt Barling. Here he recommends the best Five Books on racism, and reveals what he said to Enoch Powell when they came face to face.

    The best books on Human Rights, recommended by John Tasioulas

  • Read

    1

    The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

  • Read

    2

    Making Sense of Human Rights
    by James Nickel

  • Read

    3

    The Idea of Natural Rights
    by Brian Tierney

  • Read

    4

    The Law of Peoples
    by John Rawls

  • Read

    5

    On Human Rights
    by James Griffin

The best books on Human Rights, recommended by John Tasioulas

What are human rights? Are they reducible to the rights enshrined in law or do they somehow objectively exist? Philosopher John Tasioulas picks the best five books on human rights.

    The best books on Isaiah Berlin, recommended by Henry Hardy

  • Read

    1

    Liberty
    by Isaiah Berlin

  • Read

    2

    The Proper Study of Mankind
    by Isaiah Berlin

  • Read

    3

    Personal Impressions
    by Isaiah Berlin

  • Read

    4

    The Hedgehog and the Fox: An Essay on Tolstoy's View of History
    by Isaiah Berlin

  • Read

    5

    The Book of Isaiah: Personal Impressions of Isaiah Berlin
    by Henry Hardy

The best books on Isaiah Berlin, recommended by Henry Hardy

He was one of the great intellectuals of the 20th century, but a people person with little interest in publishing books. Henry Hardy, the editor who helped publish many of them, chooses the best books by (and one about) Isaiah Berlin.

    The best books on Philosophy in a Divided World, recommended by Carlos Fraenkel

  • Read

    1

    Apology
    by Plato

  • Read

    2

    The Deliverance from Error
    by al-Ghazālī

  • Read

    3

    The Guide of the Perplexed
    by Maimonides

  • Read

    4

    On Liberty
    by John Stuart Mill

  • Read

    5

    Winnetou
    by Karl May

The best books on Philosophy in a Divided World, recommended by Carlos Fraenkel

The philosopher argues that a culture of debate, in which people of all backgrounds can openly discuss the truth, is philosophy’s real answer to conflict.

    The best books on Political Philosophy, recommended by Jonathan Wolff

  • Read

    1

    Leviathan
    by Thomas Hobbes

  • Read

    2

    Early Writings
    by Karl Marx

  • Read

    3

    A Theory of Justice
    by John Rawls

  • Read

    4

    Anarchy, State, and Utopia
    by Robert Nozick

  • Read

    5

    If You’re an Egalitarian, How Come You’re So Rich?
    by G. A. Cohen

The best books on Political Philosophy, recommended by Jonathan Wolff

British philosopher Jonathan Wolff chooses five books by thinkers who have shaped the field. 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’.

    The best books on Feminism, recommended by Maria Sveland

  • Read

    1

    Mrs Dalloway
    by Virginia Woolf

  • Read

    2

    Fear of Flying
    by Erica Jong

  • Read

    3

    The Women’s Room
    by Marilyn French

  • Read

    4

    The Terror Dream
    by Susan Faludi

  • Read

    5

    Wetlands
    by Charlotte Roche

The best books on Feminism, recommended by Maria Sveland

The feminist author chooses liberating literature for women, from Virginia Woolf to Erica Jong. She says that men still don’t share equal responsibility in the home, and that life after divorce can be easier.

    The best books on Honour, recommended by Kwame Anthony Appiah

  • Read

    1

    In the Name of Honor
    by Mukhtar Mai

  • Read

    2

    Honor
    by Frank Henderson Stewart

  • Read

    3

    Moral Capital
    by Christopher Leslie Brown

  • Read

    4

    ‘The Duel’ in The Duel and Other Stories
    by Anton Chekhov

  • Read

    5

    The Economy of Esteem
    by Geoffrey Brennan & Philip Pettit

The best books on Honour, recommended by Kwame Anthony Appiah

The Princeton philosophy professor tells us about the meaning of honour, how it’s won and lost, and what role it has played in the history of moral change

    Stephen Breyer on his Intellectual Influences

  • Read

    1

    Democracy in America
    by Alexis de Tocqueville

  • Read

    2

    The Education of Henry Adams
    by Henry Adams

  • Read

    3

    How to Do Things with Words
    by JL Austin

  • Read

    4

    The Plague
    by Albert Camus

  • Read

    5

    In Search of Lost Time
    by Marcel Proust

Stephen Breyer on his Intellectual Influences

The US Supreme Court Justice, Stephen Breyer, talks about the books that have influenced his thinking. He explains why reading widely, including literature, is essential for judges and lawyers.

    The best books on The Evolution of Liberalism, recommended by Eric Foner

  • Read

    1

    The Tragedy of American Diplomacy
    by William Appleman Williams

  • Read

    2

    The End of Reform
    by Alan Brinkley

  • Read

    3

    Pivotal Decade
    by Judith Stein

  • Read

    4

    To Stand and Fight
    by Martha Biondi

  • Read

    5

    The Feminist Promise
    by Christine Stansell

The best books on The Evolution of Liberalism, recommended by Eric Foner

Historian Eric Foner chooses five books illustrating how concepts of American liberalism have changed over the past 50 years, and about the tension that lies at the heart of liberalism today.

    John Gray recommends the best Critiques of Utopia and Apocalypse

  • Read

    1

    The Invisible Writing
    by Arthur Koestler

  • Read

    2

    Civilisation and Its Discontents
    by Sigmund Freud

  • Read

    3

    The Pursuit of the Millennium
    by Norman Cohn

  • Read

    4

    The Sense of an Ending
    by Frank Kermode

  • Read

    5

    Hello America
    by JG Ballard

John Gray recommends the best Critiques of Utopia and Apocalypse

Is it inevitable that the desire to build a perfect world should end in disaster? John Gray considers the flaws in utopian thinking and the essential nature of humans. He recommends the best critiques of utopia and apocalypse.

    The best books on Fairness and Inequality, recommended by Will Hutton

  • Read

    1

    Principles of Social Justice
    by David Miller

  • Read

    2

    The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger
    by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett

  • Read

    3

    Inequality Reexamined
    by Amartya Sen

  • Read

    4

    Fault Lines
    by Raghuram G Rajan

  • Read

    5

    Chavs
    by Owen Jones

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

    The best books on Civil Resistance, recommended by Sir Adam Roberts

  • Read

    1

    Sharp’s Dictionary of Power and Struggle
    by Gene Sharp

  • Read

    2

    Defeating Authoritarian Leaders in Postcommunist Countries
    by Valerie Bunce and Sharon Wolchik

  • Read

    3

    Why Civil Resistance Works
    by Erica Chenoweth and Maria J Stephan

  • Read

    4

    People Power and Political Change
    by April Carter

  • Read

    5

    The Lady and the Peacock
    by Peter Popham

The best books on Civil Resistance, recommended by Sir Adam Roberts

From Tunisia to Tahrir, Moscow to Manhattan, civil resistance is back. The British Academy president, and eminent student of people power, tells us how modern non-violent action began, and where it's most likely to succeed

    The best books on The Roots of Liberalism, recommended by Franklin Foer

  • Read

    1

    The State
    by Woodrow Wilson

  • Read

    2

    The Metaphysical Club
    by Louis Menand

  • Read

    3

    The Promise of American Life
    by Herbert Croly

  • Read

    4

    The Age of Reform
    by Richard Hofstadter

  • Read

    5

    The Paradox of American Democracy
    by John Judis

The best books on The Roots of Liberalism, recommended by Franklin Foer

Our weekly series on American progressivism continues with the journalist and author discussing the genesis of liberalism – and how the Civil War remade politics

    The best books on Communism, recommended by Robert Conquest

  • Read

    1

    One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich
    by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

  • Read

    2

    Galina
    by Galina Vishnevskaya

  • Read

    3

    The New Class
    by Milovan Djilas

  • Read

    4

    Between East And West
    by Anne Applebaum

  • Read

    5

    The Russian Mind
    by Ronald Hingley

The best books on Communism, recommended by Robert Conquest

Esteemed historian of the Soviet Union recommends five books on Communism, from novels and personal narratives to theoretical works.

    The best books on Liberty and Morality, recommended by Peter Berkowitz

  • Read

    1

    Liberalism Ancient and Modern
    by Leo Strauss

  • Read

    2

    I Am Charlotte Simmons
    by Tom Wolfe

  • Read

    3

    After Virtue
    by Alasdair MacIntyre

  • Read

    4

    God and Gold
    by Walter Russell Mead

  • Read

    5

    Flight of the Intellectuals
    by Paul Berman

The best books on Liberty and Morality, recommended by Peter Berkowitz

The Hoover Institution scholar explores five books that he believes teach us something about how we are “failing to understand, appreciate and defend our liberty”

    The best books on Assassination, recommended by Lindsay Porter

  • Read

    1

    Political Murder
    by Franklin L Ford

  • Read

    2

    The Assassination of Henry IV
    by Roland Mousnier

  • Read

    3

    Murdering McKinley
    by Eric Rauchway

  • Read

    4

    The Kennedy Assassination
    by Peter Knight

  • Read

    5

    Alleged Assassination Plots Involving Foreign Leaders
    by Rockefeller Commission

The best books on Assassination, recommended by Lindsay Porter

Lindsay Porter, author and cultural historian who has published widely on conspiracy theories, discusses five books on the different concepts of politically motivated killing and asks whether assassination can ever by justified

    The best books on Equality, recommended by Trevor Phillips

  • Read

    1

    Bleak House
    by Charles Dickens

  • Read

    2

    The Wind in the Willows
    by Kenneth Grahame

  • Read

    3

    The Black Jacobins
    by C L R James

  • Read

    4

    Bowling Alone
    by Robert D Putnam

  • Read

    5

    Identity Economics
    by George A Akerlof and Rachel E Kranton

The best books on Equality, recommended by Trevor Phillips

The chairman of the Equalities & Human Rights Commission says discrimination and social injustice won’t be changed by what happens in courtrooms or parliament but by how we all behave

    The best books on Maverick Political Thought, recommended by Chibli Mallat

  • Read

    1

    Le Monde au 21ème siècle
    by Robert Fossaert

  • Read

    2

    A Thousand Plateaus
    by Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari

  • Read

    3

    I Speak for Lebanon
    by Kamal Joumblatt

  • Read

    4

    Democracy and Distrust
    by John Hart Ely

  • Read

    5

    Iqtisaduna
    by Muhammad Baqir Sadr

The best books on Maverick Political Thought, recommended by Chibli Mallat

The lawyer who prosecuted Ariel Sharon discusses the brilliance of maverick political thinkers and says: “It takes at least a generation to establish democracy.” Highlights work of philosopher Gilles Deleuze above all

    The best books on Toleration, recommended by Timothy Stanton

  • Read

    1

    A Letter Concerning Toleration
    by John Locke

  • Read

    2

    On Liberty
    by John Stuart Mill

  • Read

    3

    Justifying Toleration
    by Susan Mendus

  • Read

    4

    Toleranz im Konflikt
    by Rainer Forst

  • Read

    5

    Regulating Aversion
    by Wendy Brown

The best books on Toleration, recommended by Timothy Stanton

Toleration is an ideal of conduct which involves putting up with something you find objectionable, says Professor Timothy Stanton. He chooses the best five books on toleration, from John Locke to more recent works.

    The best books on Human Rights, recommended by Gary Bass

  • Read

    1

    The case against the Nazi War criminals
    by Robert Houghwout Jackson

  • Read

    2

    Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument With Historical Illustrations
    by Michael Walzer

  • Read

    3

    A Problem from Hell
    by Samantha Power

  • Read

    4

    Endgame
    by David Rohde

  • Read

    5

    Legalism
    by Judith Shklar

The best books on Human Rights, recommended by Gary Bass

Political scientist Gary Bass picks the five best books on Human Rights.

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