Political Thought and Political ThinkersEthics described Judith Shklar as "a towering presence" at Harvard for decades, an "influential teacher and mentor to many of the best known political theorists working today in the United States." One of this century's most important liberal scholars, she is remembered for her "sharp intellect, forceful personality, and passionate intellectual honesty and curiosity." Political Thought and Political Thinkers makes startlingly clear her role in the reinvigoration of liberal theory that has been taking place over the last two decades. This second volume of Shklar's work—which follows the 1997 publication of Redeeming American Political Thought—brings together heretofore uncollected (and several unpublished) essays on a number of themes, including the place of the intellect in the modern political world and the dangers of identity politics. While many of these essays have been previously published, they remain far from accessible. In collecting the work scattered over the past forty years in journals and other publications, noted political theorist Stanley Hoffmann provides an essential guide to Shklar's thought, complemented by George Kateb's comprehensive introduction to her work. Hoffmann's selection, which includes Shklar's classic essay "The Liberalism of Fear," showcases her distinctive defense of liberalism and follows her explorations in this history of moral and political thought as she engages with Bergson, Arendt, and Rousseau. Political Thought and Political Thinkers displays one of the century's most compelling and flexible intellects in action and is the definitive collection of her work on European history and thinkers. "Shklar's legacy is an inspiring example of liberal thought at its arresting best, unflinchingly courageous and unmoved by the dreary and unmeaning harmonies conjured up by theories of justice and rights."—John Gray, Times Literary Supplement Judith N. Shklar (1928-1992) was Cowles Professor of Government at Harvard University and the author of nine books in political theory. |
Contents
The Liberalism of Fear | 3 |
Political Theory and the Rule of Law | 21 |
Obligation Loyalty Exile | 38 |
The Bonds of Exile | 56 |
Learning about Thought | 73 |
Squaring the Hermeneutic Circle | 75 |
Politics and the Intellect | 94 |
Learning without Knowing | 105 |
Ideology Hunting The Case of James Harrington | 206 |
Montesquieu and the New Republicanism | 244 |
Reading the Social Contract | 262 |
JeanJacques Rousseau and Equality | 276 |
Jean DAlembert and the Rehabilitation of History | 294 |
Bergson and the Politics of Intuition | 317 |
Nineteen EightyFour Should Political Theory Care? | 339 |
Rethinking the Past | 353 |
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Adams American Arendt argument belief Bergson CEJL century chap character citizens civil classical common conflict constitutional creation myth creative critical Cronus cruelty d'Alembert democracy democratic depend Discours ence Encyclopédie equality especially essay exile fact freedom gentry groups Hannah Arendt Harrington hermeneutic Hesiod historians Hobbes human Ibid ideas ideology individual inequality intellectual interest interpretation James Harrington Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jews justice knowledge less liberalism of fear loyalty Machiavelli matter means meant ment mind modern Montesquieu moral moreover nature never Nietzsche Nineteen Eighty-Four notion Oceana Oeuvres one's original Orwell ostracism past philosophy Plutarch political obligation political theory Pope possible psychology rational reason regimes religion religious republic republican revolution Rousseau Rule of Law sense Shklar skepticism Social Contract social science society sure Themistocles thought Thucydides tion tradition truth University utopia Voltaire Walzer write York Zeus