A Student's Guide to Political Philosophy: Political Theory Guide (Guides to Major Disciplines)

Hidden within every political debatein legislatures on radio talk shows and even in coffee shopsis an implicit philosophy of the polity or a particular understanding of the limits and possibilities of human life in community. Harvard Universitys Harvey C. Mansfield one of Americas preeminent political theorists here provides a compelling account of the philosophers who have shaped our fundamental views of politics through the ages. In an era when "partisanship" is deplored Mansfield shows that taking sides in disputes about the common good is a permanent part of politics; and it is the place to begin in the quest for wisdom concerning the human things.