England in the middle of the 17th century was a quagmire of political posturing from a variety of power centres. Royalists, anti-royalists, the clergy, and sundry other groups were jockeying for the advantageous positions. This title attempts to unravel political complexities in order to provide answers to the confusion that engulfed England.
Proceeding from the assumption that human beings desire pleasure (and avoid pain), this title uses the utilitarianism perspective to construct a calculus for determining which action to perform when confronted with situations requiring moral decision-making the goal of which is to arrive at the 'greatest happiness of the greatest number'.
Explores topics such as the nature and extent of human freedom, the Bill of Rights, judicial review as it pertains to constitutional interpretation and the balance of powers among the three branches of government, censorship, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and social justice.
Seeks to understand the thrust of socialist theory and to appraise the impact of its potential implementation. This book features chapters originally made public in the pages of the "Fortnightly Review" in 1879.
In the 18th century, English philosopher Jeremy Bentham developed the famous moral theory known as utilitarianism, which is based upon the pleasure principle. This title discusses this principle that grounds the judgement of human action on the extent to which it would result in pleasure or happiness for the greatest number of people.
Albert Schweitzers social and ethical philosophy is expressed in this book. It gives contemporary readers the opportunity to discover his prophetic thought.
Written in part as a theoretical reply to the stodgy conservatism of Edmund Burke's "Reflections on the French Revolution" (1790), this title sets forth a manifesto of popular democratic rule in the established tradition of John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Offers a portrayal of his world in the chaos and tumult of early 16th century Florence, Italy and Europe. This book uses the author's political situation, and that of the classical period to illustrate his precepts of statecraft. It presents a message of moral relativism, and political expediency.
What is power? Is it, as Betrand Russell suggested, "the production of intended effects", or is it the capacity to produce them? And which effects count? Or is Max Weber's definition of power as "the probability that an actor in a social relationship will be in a position to carry out his own will despite resistance" more accurate. What are the ......
