Ocean State Libraries

Similar to Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle explores another facet of good living by outlining the best governing practices that benefit the majority, and not the minority. In The Politics, he defines various institutions and how they should operate within an established system. The Politics provides an analysis of contemporary government as it relates to all people. Aristotle discusses the positive and negative qualities of authority and how they affect...

Often ranked as the greatest of Plato's many remarkable writings, this celebrated philosophical work of the fourth century BC contemplates the elements of an ideal state, serving as the forerunner for such other classics of political thought as Cicero's De Republica, St. Augustine's City of God, and Thomas More's Utopia. Written in the form of a dialog in which Socrates questions his students and fellow citizens, The Republic concerns itself chiefly...

"A philosophical dialog in which Plato explores the struggle to overcome the temptations of worldly success and live and moral life."--

The eighteenth-century philosopher’s landmark treatise against monarchy that inspired the French and American Revolutions.
 “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”
 
With these stirring words, Jean-Jacques Rousseau begins The Social Contract—the first shot in a battle of ideas that would set the stage for the American War of Independence and the French Revolution....

In dark days, men need a clear faith and a well-grounded hope; and as the outcome of these, the calm courage which takes no account of hardships by the way. The times through which we are passing have afforded to many of us a confirmation of our faith. We see that the things we had thought evil are really evil, and we know more definitely than we ever did before the directions in which men must move if a better world is to arise on the ruins of the...

One of the foremost examples of modern philosophy, Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince is notorious for the morality it expounds, often summarized by the phrase, "The end justifies the means." With The Prince, Machiavelli's intent was to provide practical advice for rulers and politicians, especially in regard to the unification of Italy. The Prince and Other Writings is an important book for those interested in history, politics, ethics, and human...

Common Sense and Other Writings, by Thomas Paine, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics: • New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars • Biographies of the authors • Chronologies...

"The Public and Its Problems" by John Dewey is a seminal work in political philosophy and social theory that explores the nature of democracy, the challenges it faces, and the role of the public in addressing societal problems. In this thought-provoking book, Dewey examines the relationship between democracy, individualism, and the collective responsibility of the public. Dewey begins by critiquing the traditional notion of the public as a mere aggregation...

A book in which Rousseau theorized about the best way to establish a political community in the face of the problems of commercial society, which he had already identified in his Discourse on Inequality (1754).

Behind the daily headlines on presidential races and local elections is the theory of the polity-or what the end of our politics should be. Harvard's Harvey C. Mansfield, one of America's leading political theorists, explains why our quest for the good life must address the type of government we seek to uphold. He directs our gaze to the thinkers and philosophies and classic works that have proved most influential throughout the ages.