Jason Brennan’s An Introduction to Political Philosophy – Short, Clear and Partisan

An Introduction to Political Philosophy by Jason Brennan

CATO Institute, Washington DC, Electronic Edition

You might expect an introductory text to Political Philosophy to be neutral in how it introduces the field; if so, this work will disappoint you.  On the other hand if you like well written but plain prose and an author who does not hesitate to make his opinions clear, there is a lot to like in this work.  Despite the name, this is less an introduction to Political Philosophy and more a defense of Libertarianism.  As the author says, “I won’t be neutral.” (p.9) Jason Brennan is a well known and respected Libertarian, and this work is published by the Cato Institute, a Libertarian think tank.  Given all of this we should not be surprised at what we find.  This is a work with a particular mission, to bring people into the Libertarian fold.

It follows a well worn path of introducing the field through examining basic concepts of freedom, liberty, authority, property etc . . .  Each concept is introduced through clear and simple text with references only to classical theorists rather than current events which will undoubtedly allow the work to read well well into the future.  Controversial concepts are treated with respect and he does not duck contrary viewpoints, for the most part.  Given its clear leanings it is not surprising that it spends much effort examining 19th century thought (John Stuart Mill, Locke, Rousseau, Marx) and no time at all on the Classical periods or non-Western thought.  You will not find Plato or Montesquieu here.  Though the real strength of the work comes in its treatment of Rawls and those whose who oppose him.  (It has been said that all of modern Political Philosophy is a reaction to Rawls, this works does nothing to disprove that).

Despite the titles of many of the chapters (such as “The Nature and Value of Liberty” and “Is Social Justice a Mistake?”) concepts and arguments tend to be presented in economic rather than moral terms.  For example he closely examines Rawls preference for the basic egalitarian leaning foundations in how society should be structured (the Difference Principle) explaining it as only applying to the “working class” (p.46) rather than society as a whole.  He asserts standard Libertarian arguments saying classical liberal thought (via Rawls) “allows radical inequality, grater than the world has ever seen” (p.45) without explaining counter arguments (for example as have originated from Milton Friedman and Ludwig von Mises).  While some of this can be explained as an attempt to keep this work short, having a more robust set of counter arguments would be useful to the reader.

In summery, while not being neutral Brennen does treat contrary viewpoints and basic concepts with (almost) fair-handed enthusiasm if not depth.  It presents concepts clearly while not talking down to the reader.  His final thought in this work:

“Philosophy can help us think more clearly about politics, but it can also tempt us into believing we can solve all the world’s problems from the armchair with a few cleve arguments.  Thus, my final recommendation to you, the reader, don’t stop here.  Learn basic economics, political science and sociology as well.”  (P.93)

Heading his words will benefit not only your  understand of this work, but the world we live in as well.  The enthusiasm Brennen shows for the field and his obvious love of teaching show through, making the time you invest in this well worth the effort.

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