Social and Political Philosophy

A Contemporary Introduction
3. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-032-90784-0
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 338 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm

Reihe: Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy

This accessible book is invaluable to anyone coming to social and political philosophy for the first time. It provides a broad survey of key social and political questions in modern society, as well as clear discussions of the philosophical issues central to those questions and to political thought more generally. Unique among books of this kind, it includes a sustained treatment specifically of social philosophy, including coverage of topics like race and racism, gender, marriage, and the effects of social media on politics and community life. The relation between such social questions and specifically political topics is discussed. These topics include: political authority, economic justice, the limits of tolerance, considerations of community, race, gender, and culture in questions of justice, and radical critiques of current political theories.

Key updates to the Third Edition include a more sustained discussion of nationalism, technology and social media, and the tradition of Critical Theory; in addition, there is an entirely new chapter on environmental justice.

Key Features:

- Considers social philosophy as a specific topic, opening up coverage beyond state-centered policy issues to include questions like sexism, pornography, and racism

- Includes a “Case to Consider” in each chapter, spurring discussion of current topics in the classroom and encouraging further reflection by the reader

- Updates to Third Edition include an entirely new chapter on environmental justice and a more sustained discussion of nationalism, technology and social media, and the tradition of Critical Theory

Zielgruppe

Undergraduate Advanced and Undergraduate Core

Autoren/Hrsg.

Christman, John

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Geschichte der Westlichen Philosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Sozialphilosophie, Politische Philosophie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface and Acknowledgments 1. Introduction 2. Social Philosophy and the Road to the Political Part I: Basic Issues within the Liberal Paradigm 3. The Problem of Political Authority 4. Distributive Justice 5. Toleration, Pluralism, and the Foundations of Liberalism Part II: Critique of the Liberal Paradigm: Challenges and Departures 6. Conservatism, Communitarianism, and Nationalism 7. Race and the Politics of Identity 8. Feminism, Gender, and Sexuality 9. Radical Critique: Marxism and Post-Modernism 10. Beyond the Nation State: Issues in Trans-National Justice 11. Beyond the Human: Environmental Issues and Climate Justice Epilogue: The Hope of Liberalism? Bibliography Index

Über Autor(innen)

John Christman is Professor of Philosophy, Political Science and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Penn State University. He has produced several books and edited volumes in social and political philosophy. These include The Myth of Property: Toward an Egalitarian Theory of Ownership (Oxford UP, 1994), The Politics of Persons: Individual Autonomy and Socio-historical Selves (Cambridge UP, 2010), and Reconceiving Freedom from the Shadows of Slavery: Liberty in a Non-Ideal World (Cambridge UP, 2025).