What is the value of having a common canon?
Note: Some works may be listed under more than one theme depending on their content. Every effort is made to provide a free of charge view of the work cited. When copyrights allow the original work will be linked, otherwise an external link will be provided with preference given to sites that allow free public access (such as the Internet Archive). When commercial sites are needed they may include an affiliate link.
| Theme and Primary Text | Why are these texts important? | More Reading | Stands in Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Political Theory Definition and Purpose | How can you think about a topic if you can't define it? | ||
| The Purpose of Philosophy by Isaiah Berlin | A general essay about the value of Philosophy, it also applies to Political Theory | Isaiah Berlin at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy | The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking |
| Democratic Theory | |||
| On Democracy by Robert Dahl | |||
| Distributive Justice | |||
| Justice & Fairness | |||
| The Republic by Plato | |||
| Liberalism | |||
| Second Treatise of Government by John Locke | |||
| Political Liberalism or Justice as Fairness both by John Rawls | Many people believe that the whole of Political Theory over the last 50 years is composed of John Rawls and those who react to him! | Political Liberalism review by Sandel. | Anarchy, State and Utopia by Robert Nozick |
| Social Contract Theory | |||
| Leviathan by Thomas Hobbs | |||
| Second Treatise of Government by John Locke | |||
| Utilitarianism | |||
| Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill | utilitarianism.net | ||
| An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation by Jeremy Bentham | First sentence, "Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure." From this thought flows Utilitarianism, which leads to liberalism, which leads to Socialism, which leads to . . . | ||
| Utopian and Anti-Utopianism | |||
| Utopia by Thomas Moore | This is the work that gave an entire genre a name! If your serious about learning the subject, this is a must read. It describes a society designed for the benefit of all it's citizens. Often seen as an early Socialist work. | 1984 by George Orwell [Affiliate link] Describes a society designed to maxamize the power of the ruling class, often seen as a warning about the excesses of Socialism and/or Communism. | |
| Political Liberalism or Justice as Fairness both by John Rawls | As with so much Political Theory, John Rawls was not just looking to the past or moralizing about the present, he was providing a plan for the future. This is why I believe we can place Justice as Fairness in particular under the heading of Utopianism. | Anarchy, State and Utopia by Robert Nozick |