Inventors of Ideas: Introduction to Political Thought, 4th Edition

Donald Tannenbaum, Briana L. McGinnis

Copyright 2024
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Inventors of Ideas: Introduction to Political Thought 4th Edition by Donald Tannenbaum/Briana L. McGinnis

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Meet the Authors
What's New
Features
Table of Contents
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Overview

Tannenbaum/McGinnis' INVENTORS OF IDEAS: INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL THOUGHT, 4th Edition, introduces readers to the works of key figures in the history of political thought, situating them in history while also shedding light on current political questions. Designed to identify, contextualize and connect core ideas from commonly taught texts, this volume is an asset to instructors from a variety of backgrounds in the social sciences and humanities. Thoroughly revised and updated to be both rigorous and accessible, the 4th Edition covers the traditional canon while also adding expansive coverage of previously neglected voices. New contributions include writings from Christine de Pizan, Harriet Taylor Mill, Abū Nasr al-Fārābi and W.E.B. du Bois. INVENTORS OF IDEAS gives students the practical and historical foundations with which to critically engage with contemporary political issues.

Meet the Authors

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Donald Tannenbaum

Donald G. Tannenbaum teaches political philosophy at Gettysburg College. The founding editor of COMMONWEALTH: A JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, he has written widely for scholarly books, journals and symposia, served as consultant to the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program Review Board of the U.S. Department of Education and to a number of political science departments, and was president of the Northeastern Political Science Association (1993-1994) and the Pennsylvania Political Science Association (1988-1990). Professor Tannenbaum received his Ph.D. in politics from New York University, which named him a University Honors Scholar. In 2002, he was honored with an American Political Science Association/Pi Sigma Alpha citation recognizing him as a recipient of a campuswide teaching award, which he attributes, in part, to his use of this text in several of his classes. In 2011, he was named chair of the Hubert H. Humphrey Award Committee by the Council of the American Political Science Association.

Briana L. McGinnis

Briana L. McGinnis is an assistant professor in the political science department at the College of Charleston, where she teaches courses on political theory and public law. She previously taught at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and at McGill University. In addition to contributing to a number of scholarly books, Professor McGinnis has published in such journals as the JOURNAL OF POLITICS and POLITICS, GROUPS, AND IDENTITIES. Her work centers on inclusion and exclusion in democratic societies, with a particular focus on political expulsion -- or banishment -- in both the history of political thought and contemporary theory. She earned her Ph.D. in government from Georgetown University.

What's New

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All-new Learning Objectives at the beginning of each chapter help readers identify the central themes and questions addressed in the readings as well as equip instructors with helpful guides to syllabus composition, class discussion, lecture organization and exam content.
A glossary of Key Terms enriches students' understanding of the most important concepts in the readings. Key Terms are contextualized in the text to provide information without interrupting the reader's experience, with detailed definitions included at the end of each chapter. The addition of Key Terms also gives instructors a convenient source from which to draw assessment questions and discussion prompts.
While preserving earlier editions' high-quality commentary on canonical thinkers, the 4th Edition incorporates expansive new material reflecting contemporary needs for greater inclusivity. New contributions have been added from historically excluded groups, including women like Christine de Pizan and Harriet Taylor Mill as well as writings by thinkers whose works are increasingly recognized as canonical, such as Abū Nasr al-Fārābi and W.E.B. du Bois.
Delivering up-to-date scholarship, the 4th Edition explores groundbreaking writings from the 20th and 21st centuries along with a survey of emerging trends in the field. Additionally, further recommended readings have been updated to reflect the latest scholarship in political theory and history.

Features

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Offering instructors utmost flexibility, INVENTORS OF IDEAS is comprehensive enough to be the sole text in a course yet brief enough to be used in conjunction with primary source materials.
Equipping readers with the tools to confidently approach even the most intimidating readings, the authors walk students step by step through the process of interpreting the texts, inviting them to relate recurring themes in the history of political thought to their own views and personal experiences.
INVENTORS OF IDEAS places canonical thinkers and texts in conversation with one another, creating a framework within which students can both understand the readings in their historical contexts as well as engage critically with them.
The authors offer multiple interpretations and viewpoints from which to approach the text, providing ready-made prompts for reflection assignments or lively in-class discussions.
INVENTORS OF IDEAS places canonical thinkers and texts in conversation with one another, creating a framework within which students can both understand the readings in their historical contexts as well as engage critically with them.

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Part I. INTRODUCTION.
1. The History of Political Thought: Introducing the Challenge.
Part II: FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPTS: JUSTICE AND POLITICAL COMMUNITY.
2. Plato: Navigating Justice.
3. Aristotle: The Good City.
4. Cicero: Citizenship and the Republic.
Part III: THE GOOD LIFE: FAITH AND REASON.
5. Augustine: Living Together.
6. Aquinas: Reconciling Human and Divine.
7. al-Fārābī: Philosophy of Society.
8. Luther and Calvin: Reconfiguring Authority.
Part IV: FOUNDATIONS OF THE MODERN STATE: RIGHTS, LIBERTY, EQUALITY.
9. Christine de Pizan: Difference and Equality.
10. Machiavelli: Power.
11. Hobbes: Securing Order.
12. Locke: The Social Contract and its Limits.
13. Rousseau: Making the Good Citizen.
14. Wollstonecraft: Turning Toward Equality.
15. Burke: Balancing Change and Tradition.
Part V: LATE MODERNITY: A CRITICAL TURN.
16. Mill and Taylor Mill: Advancing Liberty.
17. Marx: Class Conflict, History, and Political Economy.
18. Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud: Critical Perspectives.
Part VI. CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL THOUGHT: THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES.
19. Political Thought in the 20th Century: Liberalism and its Critics.
20. Political Thought in the 21st Century: New Directions.
Conclusion: Inventors and their Ideas.