Rousseau: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Robert Wokler
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191604429
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 188

Book Description
One of the most profound thinkers of modern history, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) was a central figure of the European Enlightenment. He was also its most formidable critic, condemning the political, economic, theological, and sexual trappings of civilization along lines that would excite the enthusiasm of romantic individualists and radical revolutionaries alike. In this study of Rousseau's life and works Robert Wokler shows how his philosophy of history, his theories of music and politics, his fiction, educational and religious writings, and even his botany, were all inspired by visionary ideals of mankind's self-realization in a condition of unfettered freedom. He explains how, in regressing to classical republicanism, ancient mythology, direct communion with God, and solitude, Rousseau anticipated some post-modernist rejections of the Enlightenment as well. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Rousseau: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Robert Wokler
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0192801988
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 193

Book Description
In this study of Rousseau's life and works, across a range of disciplines, Robert Wokler shows how his thinking and writing were all inspired by an ideal of mankind's self-realization in a condition of unfettered freedom.

Citizenship: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Richard Bellamy
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0192802534
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 153

Book Description
Interest in citizenship has never been higher. But what does it mean to be a citizen in a modern, complex community? Richard Bellamy approaches the subject of citizenship from a political perspective and, in clear and accessible language, addresses the complexities behind this highly topical issue.

The Enlightenment

Author: John Robertson
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199591784
Category : Electronic books
Languages : en
Pages : 169

Book Description
This introduction explores the history of the 18th-century Enlightenment movement. Considering its intellectual commitments, Robertson then turns to their impact on society, and the ways in which Enlightenment thinkers sought to further the goal of human betterment, by promoting economic improvement and civil and political justice.

Rastafari: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Ennis Barrington Edmonds
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199584524
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 161

Book Description
Rastafari has grown into an international socio-religious movement, with adherents of Rastafari found in most of the major population centres and outposts of the world. This Very Short Introduction provides a brief account of this widespread but often poorly understood movement, looking at its history, central principles, and practices.

Epicureanism

Author: Catherine Wilson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019968832X
Category : Electronic books
Languages : en
Pages : 161

Book Description
This very short introudction corrects the prevalent view of Epicureanism that often conjures up ideas of tasty delights and hedonism. Wilson explains the philosophical and scientific ideas of Epicurus and his followers and the legacy of Epicureanism on later European thought.

Hobbes: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Richard Tuck
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191604461
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 168

Book Description
Thomas Hobbes, the first great English political philosopher, has long had the reputation of being a pessimistic atheist, who saw human nature as inevitably evil and proposed a totalitarian state to subdue human failings. In this illuminating study, Richard Tuck re-evaluates Hobbes's philosophy and dispels these myths, revealing him to have been passionately concerned with the refutation of scepticism, and to have developed a theory of knowledge which rivalled that of Descartes in its importance. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Democracy: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Bernard Crick
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191577650
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 144

Book Description
No political concept is more used, and misused, than that of democracy. Nearly every regime today claims to be democratic, but not all 'democracies' allow free politics, and free politics existed long before democratic franchises. This book is a short account of the history of the doctrine and practice of democracy, from ancient Greece and Rome through the American, French, and Russian revolutions, and of the usages and practices associated with it in the modern world. It argues that democracy is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for good government, and that ideas of the rule of law, and of human rights, should in some situations limit democratic claims. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Education: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Gary Thomas
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199643261
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 161

Book Description
From the schools of ancient times to the present day, Gary Thomas looks at how and why education evolved as it has. By exploring some of the big questions, he examines the ways in which schools work, considers the differences around the world, and concludes by considering the future of education worldwide.

The Reveries of the Solitary Walker

Author: Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Publisher: Hackett Publishing
ISBN: 9780872201620
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 292

Book Description
An exploration of the soul in the form of a final meditation on self-understanding and isolation.