Table Of ContentHISTORY OF POLITICAL THEORY
AN INTRODUCTION
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History of Political
Theory: An Introduction
Volume II: Modern
2nd Edition
GEORGE KLOSKO
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Preface
“Theideasofeconomistsandpoliticalphilosophers,”saidLordKeynes,“both
when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is
commonlyunderstood.Indeedtheworldisruledbylittleelse....Madmenin
authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some
academic scribbler of a few years back.” The extent to which the ideas of
politicalthinkersactuallyinspirepoliticalactorsisadifficultquestion,andone
addressedbyvarioustheoristsdiscussedinthiswork.Whatisclear,however,
isthattheideasthathavebeenespousedbypoliticalleadersandaroundwhich
major political movements have formed throughout Western history are
classically expressed by the “academic scribblers” we examine. Whatever we
ultimately decide about the influence of ideas, the political theorists we
examine in this volume are the most important of the past three or four
centuriesandinmanywaysappeartoruleusstill.
This two-volume history of political theory traces a series of attempts to
deal with fundamental questions of political association. The range of ques-
tions is impressive, varying over time. But many questions with which the
majortheoristswrestleareofgreatconcerntocontemporarycitizensandmust
beconfronted.Thefirstvolumecoverstheancientandmedievalperiodsand
draws to a close with the Reformation, as liberal political theory began to
emerge.Inthisvolume,muchdiscussionisfocusedonliberalpoliticaltheory
anddifferentformsithasassumedatthehandsofdifferentauthors.Though
I address a range of additional concerns, many thinkers examined in this
volumearegreatfiguresintheliberaltradition,orpowerfulcriticsofit.
Inexaminingmodernpoliticaltheory,Iassumethat“our”politicalideasare
essentially liberal, though we may not be entirely aware of this. Accordingly,
the“we”invokedisliberalcitizens,myselfincluded.Exactlywhatliberalideas
areisdiscussedbrieflyintheIntroduction,andthenthroughoutthisvolume.
Ishouldnote,however,thatliberalideasexistindifferentformsandhavebeen
subjectedtoseverecriticisms.Inadditiontomakingclearexactlywhatliberal
theoryisanddifferentwaysithasbeendeveloped,Iamgreatlyconcernedwith
presenting a balanced account. Because I assume the reader’s approach to
politicalmattersisessentiallyliberal,Idevelopcriticismswithparticularcare,
notably in the chapters on Rousseau, Hegel, and Marx, in keeping with the
great liberal value of open-mindedness (classically expressed in John Stuart
Mill’sOnLiberty,discussedinChapter8).
As in Volume I, my main concern throughout this volume is providing
clear, reliable accounts of the political theories under discussion and reasons
Preface vii
for their continuing relevance. Because it is important to consider theorists’
own expression of their ideas, I include an unusual amount of direct quota-
tion. Collecting this material should give students small anthologies of the
most important political passages of the theorists covered. Because much of
this material takes on added meaning against the circumstances of thinkers’
lives,Ialsoprovideessentialintellectualandpoliticalbackground,thoughthis
seemsmorenecessaryincertaincasesthanothers.
This text is aimed primarily at courses in which the instructor wants
sustained, detailed attention to the ideas of the great thinkers but does not
wish to assign only original texts. Because I do not assume familiarity with
works discussed, I am careful to explain and illustrate basic concepts. But
I hope my discussions will be of interest to more advanced readers as well.
Many thinkers discussed in this volume are difficult. Clear accounts of their
centralideasshouldbehelpfultoavarietyofaudiences.
A work of this sort requires numerous choices about what to include and
omit. Because my main concern is depth rather than breadth, I focus on a
small number of major thinkers, paying less attention to subsidiary figures.
Ialsoconcentrateoncentralideas,insteadofattemptingcompleteaccountsof
theorists’views.Becauseofthegreatimportanceoftheconceptoffreedomin
modern political theory, I examine many theorists in reference to this, espe-
cially the nature of freedom and the conditions necessary for its realization.
ThusindiscussingMarx,Ipaygreaterattentiontohisviewofideologyandhis
critique of liberal political theory as the ideology of a specific class than to
other aspects of histhought, forexample, his contributions topolitical econ-
omy or account of alienation. In discussing Hegel, I limit consideration to
central ideas of the Philosophy of Right and Philosophy of History, especially
Hegel’slinkednotionsoffreedom,thenatureoftheindividual,andthestate.
Another notable theme in several chapters is the rise of reason and scientific
methodanditseffectsonourunderstandingofpolitics.Thoughotherthemes
areobviouslyimportant,itseemsadvisabletolimittherangeoftopicsinorder
tobeabletodevelopideascarefullyandclearly.
To make this work as useful as possible, I have attempted to use editions
andtranslationsoftextsthatarewidelyavailable.Foreasyreference,primary
sources are collected at the end of each chapter under the heading “Texts
Cited.” I also include brief lists of suggested secondary readings. Because
spelling in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century works is often haphazard,
Ihavetakensomelibertieswiththis,andwithpunctuation,inordertomake
material more accessible. References to primary sources are explained in the
notestoeachchapter.Tocutdownonthenumberoffootnotes,Ioftenplace
citations,includingthosetofrequentlycitedsecondarysources,inparentheses
inthetext.
Iamhappytoacknowledgetheassistanceofmanypeoplewhohavehelped
makethisa betterbook.Mycolleague,Dante Germino,kindlyreadthe entire
viii Preface
manuscript and provided valuable comments and criticisms. Specific chapters
were read by Stephen White, Joshua Dienstag, and Tim Collins, for whose
comments I am also grateful, as I am to the following readers for Harcourt
Brace,forvaluablecriticismsandsuggestions:TerenceBall,UniversityofMin-
nesota; Marilyn A. Davis, Spellman College; Tom Horne, University of Tulsa;
ChristinaDiStefano,UniversityofWashington;PeterStillman,VassarCollege.
Jeff Miller provided valuable research assistance and helped verify quotations.
IamalsogratefultothestaffofAldermanLibraryattheUniversityofVirginia,
andLibraryExpressonGrounds,whichmadethetaskofassemblingmaterialfar
lesstaxingthanitmighthavebeen.
IoweagreatdebttoJulianFranklinandthelateHerbertDeane,whotaught
mehowtoworkinthehistoryofpoliticaltheory,andwhosemodelofsound
historicalscholarshipIhavesoughttoemulatehere.Iamalsogreatlyindebted
to my students, undergraduate and graduate, at Columbia and Purdue Uni-
versities and the University of Virginia, to whom I have presented different
versionsofthismaterialforthepastseventeenyears.KrysFreidlinofHarcourt
Brace has patiently seen volume II of this work through the press. David
Tatom and Cathlynn Richard of Harcourt Brace have been model editors in
termsofsuggestions,encouragement,andgentleguidance.
I thank my father, Emanuel Klosko, for building the room in which this
workwaswritten,andmybrotherSteve,forcomputerconsultation.Asalways,
I wish to thank my wife, Margaret, and daughters, Caroline, Susanna, and
Deborah,formoralsupport.
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
Forthisnewedition,Ihavecarefullyreviewedthetextofthepreviousedition,
improvingtheexpositionindifferentways.Inseveralchapters,Ihaverewrit-
ten various sections to clarify presentation. To cite a few examples, Rous-
seau’s account of liberty and Mill’s account of the harm principle have been
clarified, as has Hume’s reply to the “sensible knave.” Numerous other, less
significant, changes have been made, as I have profited from an additional
twenty years of working in and teaching the history of political theory. In
orderto bring the workup todate,I have substituted newer translations for
some translations used in the previous edition and updated references and
suggestionsfor FurtherReading.
IamgratefultomycolleaguesandmystudentsattheUniversityofVirginia,
from whom I have learned a great deal. I wish to thank my editor, Dominic
Byatt, and the staff at Oxford University Press, for making this new edition
possibleandseeingitthroughthepress.Asever,IamgratefultomywifeMeg,
anddaughtersCaroline,Susanna,andDeborah,formoralsupport.
Iamgratefulforpermissiontoreprintthefollowingmaterial:
Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws, ed. and trans. A. Cohler, B. Miller,
H.Stone,CambridgeUniversityPress,1989.Reproducedwithpermission.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The German Ideology. R. Pascal, ed. New
York:InternationalPublishersCo.Inc.,1947.Reproducedwithpermission.
NiccoloMachiavelli,DiscoursesonLivy.J.BondanellaandP.Bondanella,eds.
and trans. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. Reprinted with permis-
sionofOxfordUniversityPress.
NiccoloMachiavelli,ThePrince.P.Bondanella,ed.andtrans.Oxford:Oxford
University Press, 2005. Reprinted with permission of Oxford University
Press.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on Political Economy and The Social
Contract. C. Betts, ed. and trans. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.
ReprintedwithpermissionofOxfordUniversityPress.
Jean-JacquesRousseau,DiscourseontheOriginofInequality.F.Philip,trans.
P. Coleman, ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994. Reprinted with
permissionofOxfordUniversityPress.
G.W.F.Hegel,PhilosophyofRight.T.M.Knox,ed.andtrans.Oxford:Oxford
University Press, 1952. Reprinted with permission of Oxford University
Press.
Whilsteveryefforthasbeenmadetocontactthecopyrightholdersofmaterial
in this book, in some cases we were unable todoso. Ifthe copyright holders
contacttheauthororpublisher,weshallbepleasedtorectifyanyomissionat
theearliestopportunity.
