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Book SynopsisThis work reopens the question of the relation of the Protestant Reformation to the emergence of a distinctively modern view of political activity. Providing a highly original reading of John Calvin’s major work and an examination of some key interpretations of Calvinism, Ralph C. Hancock argues that Calvin should be considered a founder of modern civilization along with such “secular” thinkers as Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Descartes. According to Hancock, however, leading interpretations assume a dichotomy between the “worldly” and the “religious” which a close reading of Calvin’s writings does not sustain. Hancock provides an illuminating commentary on Calvin’s four-volume Institutes of the Christian Religion (1559), addressing both Calvin’s political and ethical argument and the theological foundations of this argument. In Hancock’s view, Calvin radically distinguishes between the religious and the secular in order to bind them together in a summons to worldly activity for the preservation of the species and the glory of God. The author thus uncovers the theological basis of Calvinism’s historical activism and demonstrates the complex unity of Calvin’s practical teaching and his theology. Hancock concludes by speculating on the implications of his findings for interpretations of the modern political theory of Strauss, Voegelin, and Blumenberg.

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Book SynopsisAt its beginning, every age has been “modern.” We speak of “pre-” and “post-” modern ages. We are likewise tempted to identify what is most up-to-date with what is true. But to be up-to-date is to be out-of-date. If we find what is really true in any age, it will be true in all ages. This proposition is central to this book. Moreover, what is true will appear in different guises, as will what is false. The “modern age” had often considered itself relativist, or secular, or skeptical. It strove to divest itself of its theological and metaphysical backgrounds, only to find that the central themes from this tradition recur again and again, most often under political or even scientific forms. This book proposes to “see” these classical and revelational roots within their modern forms. But we also find the proposition that what exists is only what we make. We find no “truth” but that of our own confection. When we find only our own “truth,” however, we do not really find or know ourselves. We do not cause what it is to be ourselves in the first place. The central truth that the “modern age” does not acknowledge is that its own existence along with that of the world itself is first a gift. When we see the “modern age” in this light we can again rediscover what we really are. Hopefully, we can choose and rejoice in what we are intended to be in any age as the gift of being is something that transcends all ages even while dwelling within them.

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Book SynopsisIn Herodotus and the Philosophy of Empire, Ann Ward treats the classical writer not as a historian but as a political philosopher. Ward uses close textual analysis to demonstrate that Herodotus investigates recurring themes in the most important forms of government in the ancient world. This analysis of The Histories concludes with reflections on the problems of empire, not only for the Persians and the striving Athenians, but for our own government as well. To this end, Ward contrasts Herodotus on empire with the assumptions underlying speeches and writings of Paul Wolfowitz, Colin L. Powell, Joseph S. Nye, Jr. and Robert W. Merry.Trade ReviewThis rich and comprehensive analysis beautifully captures the political urgency of Herodotus' insights -Norma Thompson, Director of Undergraduate Studies and Senior Lecturer in the Humanities, Yale UniversityAnn Ward's Herodotus and the Philosophy of Empire stands out as perhaps the most ambitious of recent works on Herodotus. -- Elliot Bartky -- The Review of PoliticsTable of Contents Acknowledgments 1. Introduction 2. Egypt and Scythia: The Pious and the Poetic Regimes 3. Persia and Regimes in Theory 4. Athens and Regimes in History Conclusion: Herodotus and the Role of the Historian Epilogue: 9/11 and the Politics of Empire Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe latest book from the most dangerous philosopher in the West (New Republic) considers the new dangers and radical possibilities set in motion by advances in Big Tech.In recent years, techno-scientific progress has started to utterly transform our world--changing it almost beyond recognition. In this extraordinary new book, renowned philosopher Slavoj Žižek turns to look at the brave new world of Big Tech, revealing how, with each new wave of innovation, we find ourselves moving closer and closer to a bizarrely literal realization of Marx's prediction that all that is solid melts into air. With the automation of work, the virtualization of money, the dissipation of class communities, and the rise of immaterial, intellectual labor, the global capitalist edifice is beginning to crumble, more quickly than ever before--and it is now on the verge of vanishing entirely.But what will come next? Against a backdrop of constant socio-technological upheaval, how could any kind of authentic change take place? In such a context, Žižek argues, there can be no great social triumph--because lasting revolution has already come into the scene, like a thief in broad daylight, stealing into sight right before our very eyes. What we must do now is wake up and see it. Urgent as ever, Like a Thief in Broad Daylight illuminates the new dangers as well as the radical possibilities thrown up by today's technological and scientific advances, and their electrifying implications for us all.

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Book SynopsisThese original essays debate two ways of theorizing social life. One way is the integrative or holistic model of thought typified in the writings of Confucius. The other, the revolutionary tradition, is suspicious of holism and harmony as principles of social thought because harmony is seen as something that can genuinely occur only when a society has rectified deeply ingrained injustice. This volume evaluates the alternative priorities of order and revolt, harmony and spontaneity, in social life.

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Book SynopsisWhat is it about Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962) that transports so many readers into “life changing” exhortations? Is it the direct yet compassionate radical message of what we as a species have failed to realize in our reckless trajectory toward oblivion? Is it whistle blowing of the highest order? Does it offer solutions along with critical analysis? Whatever the formula for success, her success—despite attempts to ban the book—is not arguable. Were her book to attain a modicum of comparable acceptance in these dystopic times then her mission will have been accomplished. She is not above emulation of the masters, a practice she learned as a composer, not an author. But it is something that suits well whatever creative endeavor we practice. Her response to all queries remains, “read the book.”

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Book SynopsisIn Against the New Politics of Identity, philosopher Ronald A. Lindsay offers a sustained criticism of the far-reaching cultural transformation occurring across much of the West by which individuals are defined primarily by their group identity, such as race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation.Driven largely by the political Left, this transformation has led to the wholesale grouping of individuals into oppressed and oppressor classes in both theory and practice. He warns that the push for identity politics on the Left predictably elicits a parallel reaction from the Right, including the Right's own version of identity politics in the form of Christian nationalism.As Lindsay makes clear, the symbiotic relationship that has formed between these two political poles risks producing even deeper threats to Enlightenment values and Western democracy. If we are to preserve a liberal democracy in which the rights of individuals are respected, he concludes, the dogmas of identity politics must be challenged and refuted. Against the New Politics of Identity offers a principled path for doing so.

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Book SynopsisThrough intimate and deeply researched retellings of individualized stories of violence, misfortune, chaos and persistence, this poetic and unique blend of history, memoir and visual essay reflects on how we can resist the erasure of our collective memory in the American century.

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Book SynopsisExploring the genesis of neoliberalism, and the political and economic circumstances of its deployment, Pierre Dardot and Christian Laval dispel numerous common misconceptions. Neoliberalism is neither a return to classical liberalism nor the restoration of "pure" capitalism. To misinterpret neoliberalism is to fail to understand what is new about it: far from viewing the market as a natural given that limits state action, neoliberalism seeks to construct the market and make the firm a model for governments. Only once this is grasped will its opponents be able to meet the unprecedented political and intellectual challenge it poses.Trade ReviewThe New Way of the World is the best modern realization of Foucault's pioneering approach to the history of neoliberalism. It wonderfully explores the European roots and branches of the neoliberal thought collective over the twentieth century, and warns that unthinking misrepresentations of its political project as espousing 'laissez-faire' has had the effect of allowing the Left to submit to its siren song. -- Philip MirowskiTo understand these debates [on neoliberalism], the book by Christian Laval and Pierre Dardot on the 'neoliberal society' offers us analytical keys. This monument of scholarship draws on the history of ideas, philosophy and sociology. * Le Monde *Extremely scholarly, this book is an insistent invitation to push theoretical and social critique of the present order beyond the standard analyses. * Le Monde diplomatique *

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Book SynopsisCan the tension between relativism and the moral universalism current in contemporary politics be resolved within the framework of liberalism? How is liberal society to interpret the diversity of morals? Is pluralism the appropriate response? How does pluralism differ from the widely condemned ethnocentric relativism-"liberalism for the Liberals, cannibalism for the cannibals"?Confronting liberal thought with its own limitations, Steven Lukes' work is more relevant than ever. While recognizing the dangers of moral imperialism, Lukes argues that a relativist position based on identifying clearly distinct cultural and moral communities is incoherent. Drawing on work in anthropology and philosophy, he examines the nature of social justice, the politics of identity and human rights theory.Trade ReviewPraise for Steven Lukes′s The Curious Enlightenment of Professor Caritat: “Written in a beautifully clear style, full of a keen, serious wit … Lukes achieves both lightness and weight in a way many novelists might envy.” —Independent “This book is a box of delights, often wonderfully funny and always deliciously clever, a contemporary political satire to set among the best.” —New Statesman “Knock-out satirical humour.” —Times Literary Supplement “Lukes manages to equal the pace and flair of Candide.”−New York Times Book Review “Utterly magnetic.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisFive hundred years since its first publication, Thomas More's Utopia remains astonishingly radical and provocative. More imagines an island nation where thousands live in peace and harmony, men and women are both educated, and property is communal. In a text hovering between fantasy, satire, blueprint and game, More explores the theories and realities behind war, political conflicts, social tensions and redistribution, and imagines the day-to-day lives of a citizenry living free from fear, oppression, violence and suffering.But there has always been a shadow at the heart of Utopia. If this is a depiction of the perfect state, why, as well as wonder, does it provoke a growing unease?In this quincentenary edition, published in conjunction with Somerset House, More's text is introduced by multi-award-winning author China Miéville and accompanied by four essays from Ursula K. Le Guin, today's most distinguished utopian writer and thinker.Trade ReviewWe can't do without this book. We are all and have always been Thomas More's children. -- China MiévilleI am offered the Grand Inquisitor's choice. Will you choose freedom without happiness, or happiness without freedom? The only answer one can make, I think, is: No. -- Ursula K. Le Guin

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Book SynopsisIn a series of seven trenchant interventions Alain Badou analyses the decisive developments in Greece since 2011. Badiou considers this Mediterranean country "a sort of open-air political lesson", with much to tell us about the wider situation. Greece is exemplary of "our fundamental contradictions in Europe, which are also ultimately the fundamental contradictions of the world such as it is-the world served up to the authoritarian anarchy of capitalism."Notwithstanding the Greeks' heartening opposition to the financial markets' hegemony, Badiou considers it also important to address the reasons why this opposition failed. "Movementist" politics may arouse widespread sympathy, but for the French philosopher they have "absolutely no effect other than to temporarily trap the movement in the negative weakness of its affects." Badiou argues that a consequential opposition inspired by the emancipatory politics of the past-or by what he calls "the communist hypothesis"-should set its compass by the "orienting maxims" proposed in this book, defining a direction for political action.Trade ReviewIn the past few years, Alain Badiou's oeuvre has imposed itself as the most significant philosophical import from the Continent. -- Alberto Toscano, author of Fanaticism: On the Uses of an Idea * The British Journal of Sociology *Whatever his pessimistic assessments of the contemporary situation (St Paul in the place of Lenin?), Badiou's emphasis on activity and production, his insistence on fidelity as the resurrected of the dormant Events of a seemingly extinct political praxis, can only be energizing for us. -- Fredric Jameson * New Left Review *One of the most important philosophers writing today. -- Joan CopjecA figure like Plato or Hegel walks here among us! -- Slavoj ZizekAn heir to Jean-Paul Sartre and Louis Althusser. * New Statesman *Badiou's sardonically compressed style is never less than pungent. * Guardian *Shaking the foundations of Western liberal democracy. * Times Higher Education Supplement *A thinker of tremendously invigorating moral fervour, able to rise to Swiftian scorn or fine Cocteau-like flourishes. Badiou's passionate belief in human autonomy is inspiring. * Daily Telegraph *Scarcely any other moral thinker of our day is as politically clear-sighted and courageously polemical, so prepared to put notions of truth and universality back on the agenda. -- Terry EagletonFrench philosophy still has a kick in it, and it can still turn heads. You have been warned. -- Jonathan Rée * Prospect *Magnificently stirring. A characteristically lucid polemic from a philosopher who is far from willing to abandon humanity to the vicissitudes of so-called global capitalism. -- Mark Fisher * Frieze *Badiou has been an intellectual hero of France's anti-capitalist left since the Paris street protests of 1968. * BBC HARDtalk *Greece has long been a country with 'too much history,' a harbinger of broader developments in Europe. In the course of its recent crisis it provided the testing ground for several political approaches. Failure was general, but none was greater than the abject capitulation of Syriza. Alain Badiou surveys the wreckage calmly and with sadness, seeking the reinvention of a radical and class-based politics. This is indeed what Europe needs today, and the only positive outcome from the Syriza debacle. -- Costas Lapavitsas, SOAS, University of London

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Book SynopsisTens of millions of people poured onto the streets for Black Lives Matter, bringing with them a wholly new idea of public safety, common security, and the delivery of justice, communicating that vision in the fiery vernacular of riot, rebellion, and protest. A World without Police transcribes these new ideas-written in slogans and chants, over occupied bridges and hastily assembled barricades-into a compelling, must-read manifesto for police abolition.Compellingly argued and lyrically charged, A World without Police offers concrete strategies for confronting and breaking police power, as a first step toward building community alternatives that make the police obsolete. Surveying the post-protest landscape in Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Oakland, as well as the people who have experimented with policing alternatives at a mass scale in Latin America, Maher details the institutions we can count on to deliver security without the disorganizing interventions of cops: neighborhood response networks, community-based restorative justice practices, democratically organized self-defense projects, and well-resourced social services.A World without Police argues that abolition is not a distant dream or an unreachable horizon but an attainable reality. In communities around the world, we are beginning to glimpse a real, lasting justice in which we keep us safe.Trade ReviewCiccariello-Maher's book is a triumph of reporting, narrative, and theoretical analysis. It's a testament to what happens when you keep your eyes open, your ear to the ground, and your head on straight." -- Corey Robin, author of The Enigma of Clarence Thomas, in praise of Building the CommuneFrom the ashes of the Third Precinct, Geo Maher looks for what grows when the deadly shadow of the police is removed. He writes an urgent history of the present. The ingredients of white supremacy, colonialism, and capitalism are baked into the cake called America, especially the institution of the police. You can't unbake that cake. Maher contends creating a world without police is not only possible, but necessary. -- Nick Estes, author of Our History Is the FutureA World Without Police is provocative in the best possible ways: It dares the reader to imagine a future only without policing, but shorn of the capitalism and white supremacy that refashions a public in the image of the police. It situates the carceral and coercive institutions in the US within broader global currents of imperial violence. And it demands that we together build strong, antiracist, and egalitarian communities that can defend themselves here and across national boundaries. -- Laleh Khalili, author of Sinews of War and TradeGeo rips away the band-aid of liberal police reform to expose the open wound of racism, colonialism, and economic exploitation at the heart of capitalism and its police and shows us that healing that wound will require deep global transformations rooted in community empowerment. -- Alex Vitale, author of End of PolicingStunning in conception. Forceful in Argument. Expert in proposing remedies. In sum, this is a book that must not only be read--but studied. -- Gerald Horne, author of Fire This TimeNo reasonable person can read this book and still believe police are good for us. Geo Maher proves on every single page that "A World Without Police" is no utopia but a concrete necessity if we want to preserve life and make our communities safer. And he shows us precisely how it could be done. Take this book everywhere. Read, share, act; defund, disarm, abolish. -- Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom DreamsMaher's prose, trenchant and unapologetic, helps us write a poetry of abolition. -- Tyler Wall, author of Police: A Field GuideA thesis sure to stir plenty of controversy but worthy of discussion. * Kirkus Reviews *A clear-sighted and passionate case for abolition that is ultimately an argument for changing the world as we know it. Maher's work is steeped in historical understanding and revolutionary insight, but it is, above all, determinedly hopeful and humane in its vision of another way of living together that is absolutely possible. -- Priyamvada Gopal, author of Insurgent EmpireThanks to the tireless organizing work of the "stubborn agitators, zealots, and fanatics of the best sort" who inspire Geo Maher, police abolition is an increasingly widespread political demand. A World Without Police dismantles every argument cops and their supporters offer to defend our present world with police, incisively detailing their flaws and falsehoods. In our future world without police, Maher's persuasive book will serve as the institution's autopsy report. -- Stuart Schrader, author of Badges Without BordersGeo Maher not only demonstrates definitively that police serve a wealthy white elite and don't protect us, but also illuminates the path toward abolishing policing. By describing concrete local and global experiments in grassroots resistance, he brings clarity to how community organizing works tactically and politically to make policing obsolete. A World without Police offers inspiring assurance that we can achieve the vision embodied in its title. -- Dorothy Roberts, author, Killing the Black Body and Shattered BondsIn A World Without Police, Geo Maher considers modern day abolitionist movements against policing. Through the flames of the 2020 uprisings, he illuminates a long history of abolitionist struggles for freedom, for democracy, and for the radical transformation of the world. An urgent text for our times. -- Christina Heatherton, editor of Policing the PlanetA World without Police analyzes the unfinished business of 'abolition democracy' in the twenty-first century. Amidst a cycle of rebellion, Geo Maher deftly illuminates how policing is a 'racket'. The power to transform society, he argues, lies in the visions of radical democratic movements to abolish the police. -- Jordan Camp, author of Incarcerating the CrisisWhat is the 'thin blue line' if not a border, writes Geo Maher in his terrific new book A World Without Police. In nine beautifully written chapters, he takes us on a terrifying tour of that border, reminding us that cops have never engaged in law enforcement, crime fighting, or public safety. The claim by cops and police reformists that policing secures democracy and civilization against savagery and barbarism is a cruel lie that hides a sadistic police history of white supremacist violence against the poor. We'll never be free as long as cops patrol our streets, and Geo Maher's book helps light our way in our struggle to build a world free from the plague of police.\n"}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":12993,"3":{"1":0},"9":0,"10":0,"12":0,"15":"Verdana","16":9}" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana;">What is the 'thin blue line' if not a border, writes Geo Maher in his terrific new book A World Without Police. In nine beautifully written chapters, he takes us on a terrifying tour of that border, reminding us that cops have never engaged in law enforcement, crime fighting, or public safety. The claim by cops and police reformists that policing secures democracy and civilization against savagery and barbarism is a cruel lie that hides a sadistic police history of white supremacist violence against the poor. We'll never be free as long as cops patrol our streets, and Geo Maher's book helps light our way in our struggle to build a world free from the plague of police. -- David Correia, author of Police: A Field GuideAn essential introduction to the case for abolishing the police. * Publishers Weekly *In A World Without Police, [Maher] advocates for police abolition alongside community safety. * Lit Hub (75 Nonfiction Books You Should Read This Summer) *[A World Without Police] is nothing if not exhaustive. From transit police to the police unions under the Fraternal Order of the Police to a complicit Black elite, Maher implicates the police and its allies in the history of American violence writ large. -- Kamil Ahsan * NPR Books *Both one of the most compelling arguments for police abolition and a complete depiction of the nationwide George Floyd uprisings to date ... Sure to be a key abolitionist text for activists and organizers. -- Christian Noakes * Workers World *Compelling ... combin[ing] political theory and history with accessible writing ... [A World Without Police] demonstrate[s] that democratic and egalitarian alternatives already exist. -- Christopher McMichael * New Frame *A World Without Policing lays out a withering takedown of the institution of policing with fiery vim and audacious aplomb. A searing and incisively argued indictment of the edifice of policing and an argument for abolition. -- brian bean * Rampant *

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Book SynopsisDespite the doom and gloom of financial crises, global terrorism, climate collapse, and the rise of the far-right, a number of leading intellectuals (Steven Pinker, Hans Rosling, Johan Norberg, and Matt Ridley, among others) have been arguing in recent years that the world is getting better and better. But this “progress narrative” is little more than a very conservative defence of the capitalist status quo. At a time when liberal democracy appears incapable of stemming the tide of the far-right populism, and when laissez-faire capitalism is ill-equipped to deal with socio-economic problems like climate change, inequality, and the future of wok, the real advocates of progress are those willing to challenge these established paradigms. The Glass Half-Empty argues that, without criticising the systems of capitalism, the changes needed to make a better world will always fall short of our expectations. The "progress narrative" needs to be challenged before we stumble into a potentially catastrophic future, despite having the means to build a truly better world.Trade Review"A highly original, concise and readable polemic that acts as a perfect foil to the confected positivity of the 'New Optimists', while reminding us that a better world is, in fact, possible.

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Book SynopsisFollowing the collapse of the communist states it was assumed that Marxist philosophy had collapsed with it. In Introduction to Non-Marxism, François Laruelle aims to recover Marxism along with its failure by asking the question “What is to be done with Marxism itself?” To answer, Laruelle resists the temptation to make Marxism more palatable after the death of metaphysics by transforming Marxism into a mere social science or by simply embracing with evangelical fervor the idea of communism. Instead Laruelle proposes a heretical science of Marxism that will investigate Marxism in both its failure and power so as to fashion new theoretical tools. In the course of engaging with the material of Marxism, Laruelle takes on the philosophy of Marx along with important philosophers who have extended that philosophy including Althusser, Balibar, Negri as well as the attempt at a phenomenological Marxism found in the work of Michel Henry. Through this engagement Laruelle develops with great precision the history and function of his concept of determination-in-the-last-instance. In the midst of the assumed failure of Marxism and the defections and resentment that followed, Laruelle’s non-Marxism responds with the bold declaration: “Do not give up on theory!”

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Book SynopsisWestern democracy is now at a critical juncture. Some worry that power has been wrested from the people and placed in the hands of a small political elite. Others argue that the democratic system gives too much power to a populace that is largely ill-informed and easily swayed by demagogues. This classic study of democratic principles is thus now more relevant than ever. A renowned historian of antiquity and political philosophy, Sir M.I. Finley offers a comparative analysis of Greek and modern conceptions of democracy. As he puts the ancient Greeks in dialogue with their contemporary counterparts, Finley tackles some of the most pressing issues of our day, including public apathy, partisanship, consensus politics, distrust of professional politicians, and the limits of free speech. Including three lectures that Finley delivered at Rutgers University, plus two additional essays that further illuminate his thinking, Democracy Ancient and Modern explores the dramatic differences between the close-knit civil society of the ancient Greeks and our own atomized mass societies. By mapping out democracy’s past and its present manifestations, this book helps us plot a course for democracy’s future. Trade Review"It is to be hoped that this small book, which testifies to the erudition, the critical spirit and the open-mindedness of its author, will attract the attention not only of historians, but also of politicians and political theorists." -- G. J. D. Aalders * author of Political Thought in Hellenistic Times *"This is one of the stimulating books through which M. I. Finley transformed approaches to ancient history in the anglophone world, rejecting arid antiquarianism and insisting on dialogue between the ancient world and the modern." -- P. J. Rhodes * honorary professor and emeritus professor, Durham University *"Highly stimulating and instructive reading for all whose interests lie in history, economics, sociology and political theory and institutions... Professor Finley is a master of many disciplines." -- D. J. Mosley * author of Diplomacy in Ancient Greece *"An extremely stimulating series of essays, demonstrating anew the continued vitality and relevance of the Athenian experience to modern political problems." * Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science *"Brilliant." -- Thomas B. Jones * author of Bad Lies and Promoting Active Learning *"A stylish, stimulating, and enjoyable author." * The British Journal of Sociology *"There is much here to think about." * The American Historical Review *"The usefulness of Finley's discussion of these issues is beyond question." -- Barry Hindess * author of Discourses of Power: From Hobbes to Foucault *"Given the current crisis in the experience of twenty-first century democracies, the republication of Finley’s landmark work on the distinctive grounding principles of Athenian versus modern democracies could not be more timely." -- Arlene Saxonhouse * Caroline Robbins Professor of Political Science and Women's Studies *"It is to be hoped that this small book, which testifies to the erudition, the critical spirit and the open-mindedness of its author, will attract the attention not only of historians, but also of politicians and political theorists." -- G. J. D. Aalders * author of Political Thought in Hellenistic Times *"This is one of the stimulating books through which M. I. Finley transformed approaches to ancient history in the anglophone world, rejecting arid antiquarianism and insisting on dialogue between the ancient world and the modern." -- P. J. Rhodes * honorary professor and emeritus professor, Durham University *"Highly stimulating and instructive reading for all whose interests lie in history, economics, sociology and political theory and institutions... Professor Finley is a master of many disciplines." -- D. J. Mosley * author of Diplomacy in Ancient Greece *"An extremely stimulating series of essays, demonstrating anew the continued vitality and relevance of the Athenian experience to modern political problems." * Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science *"Brilliant." -- Thomas B. Jones * author of Bad Lies and Promoting Active Learning *"A stylish, stimulating, and enjoyable author." * The British Journal of Sociology *"There is much here to think about." * The American Historical Review *"The usefulness of Finley's discussion of these issues is beyond question." -- Barry Hindess * author of Discourses of Power: From Hobbes to Foucault *"Given the current crisis in the experience of twenty-first century democracies, the republication of Finley’s landmark work on the distinctive grounding principles of Athenian versus modern democracies could not be more timely." -- Arlene Saxonhouse * Caroline Robbins Professor of Political Science and Women's Studies *Table of ContentsDedication Preface Preface to the First Edition 1. Leaders and Followers 2. Athenian Demagogues 3. Democracy, Consensus and the National Interest 4. Socrates and After 5. Censorship in Classical Antiquity Notes About the Author Other Books by M. I. Finley Index

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