Political Philosophy: A Beginners' Guide for Students and Politicians

by Adam Swift

Politicians invoke grand ideas: social justice, democracy, community, liberty, equality. But what do these ideas really mean? How can politicians across the political spectrum appeal to the same values?

This fourth edition of Adam Swift's highly readable introduction to political philosophy answers these important questions, and includes new material on issues such as nationalism, immigration and multiculturalism, as well as updated guides to further reading. This lively and accessible book is ideal for students, but it also brings the insights of the world's leading political philosophers to a wide general audience. Using plenty of examples, it equips readers to think for themselves about the ideas that shape political life.

Democracy works best when both politicians and voters move beyond rhetoric to think clearly and carefully about the values and principles that should govern their society. But clear thinking is difficult in an age when established orthodoxies have fallen by the wayside and political debate is becoming increasingly tribal and raucous. Bringing political philosophy out of the ivory tower and within the reach of all, this book provides us with tools to cut through the complexities and penetrate the smokescreens of modern politics. In so doing, it makes a valuable contribution to the democratic process and this new edition will continue to be essential reading for students of political philosophy and theory.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics, Nonfiction, Academic, Political Science

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2001

About the author

Adam Swift is a Professor of Political Theory at University College London and an Associate Editor of Philosophy and Public Affairs.

Reviews

[Yalin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, concise and easily accesible. That about sums up what makes this book a good introduction and a great read. Although not everyone might be content with the topics Swift has chosen to engage with, the ones he does handle are explained in an open and understandable fashion. The book is written in an objective manner, which makes it all the better as a no fuss no mess introductory source.

[Jelena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Razmišljanja o društvenoj pravdi, slobodi, ravnopravnosti i zajednici prikazana na jednostavan i razumljiv način.

[Aneta Pavčová · Rating 4 out of 5]

celkom funzies. odporúčam!

[Renske · Rating 2 out of 5]

als je een tering dom boek wil lezen :)

[David Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

5.7/10. Swift is a prof at UCL, so really I should rate this 0. But I won't

[Goan B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Politieke Filosofie, een combinatie van twee woorden die voor menig mens ofwel saaier klinkt dan het zien drogen van verf, ofwel een combinatie van twee woorden die sowieso al nachtmerries oproept. In principe kan ik me dit wel voorstellen: filosofie wordt (tot op zekere hoogte ook wel terecht) vaak als zweverig ervaren, en de politiek is misschien wat te abstract en onpersoonlijk geworden. En op zweverige, onpersoonlijke en abstracte boeken heb je misschien weer iets minder.

Het is dan ook helaas de werkelijkheid. Echter is politieke filosofie verassend praktisch - of, er zijn in ieder geval praktische implicaties voor te verzinnen. Helaas is dit voornamelijk op langetermijn, met een focus op normen en waarden. Zie het als een soort kompas, door politieke filosofie kan je ervoor zorgen dat de politiek naar het juiste noorden streeft. Swift zorgt er zeer zeker voor dat mensen genoeg houvast hebben om in politieke filosofische discussies deel te nemen, om zo nóg beter tot het juiste noorden te komen. Dit doet hij veelal door wat onenigheden en onduidelijkheden op te klaren en verschillende standpunten voldoende uit te lichten. Het zou verplichte kost moeten zijn voor politici, maar ook voor leken is het een prima boekje om te lezen.

[Pien · Rating 3 out of 5]

'I am absolutely convinced that life with Plato is, for everybody, objectively better than life with a Playstation'

ik heb het tentamen nog niet gemaakt, maar ik weet nu al dat ik dit boek nooit meer zal oppakken (om didaktische redenen)

als je een liberaal, homo-hatend boek wilt lezen, is dit echt de read voor jou!!! 😍😍😍😍

[nin. · Rating 4 out of 5]

easy to read, easy to understand, author did good job in explaining and relating different concepts, introducing counter arguments etc.

[Misha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book 4 stars, because it succeeds in what it tries to achieve: guiding people in their thoughts about fundamental political ideas and making them clarify their positions. It has given me much more food for thought, and I especially recommend everyone to read the last of the five parts, the one on equality, because this was one of the most fascinating elaborations on the controversial idea of equality I have read so far.
It is a rather boring read, however, so be prepared to force yourself through it. it is worth it in the end! You just need some pen and paper - and an open mind. :)

[Arup · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly loved this introduction - especially part 4 and 5 on liberty and equality. Great references for further reading after each section. I found the critique of Isaiah Berlin's esaay "two concepts of liberty" interesting. Defense of liberalism (or rather clarification of the concept of liberalism) vs communitarian critiques was ok. The section of Democracy was boring and the that on Social Justice (Rawls/Nozick/desert claims) was standard. Overall good refresher. I will have to read works of G.A.Cohen and Joseph Raz next.

[Dylan Bartlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this very useful in terms of adding depth and breadth to my understanding of some key concepts and themes in Political Philosophy. Swift is an analytic philosopher keen to clarify and distinguish concepts which are often confused and 'fuzzy' such as 'community'. This style may not suit everyone but I enjoyed the clarity and depth it provided.

[Graham Cammock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome book, Adam Swift is a genius, his philosophy is so sensible, clear and easy to understand. I especially liked the part about distributive justice. You will not regret reading Adam Swift’s introduction to political philosophy!

[Ian Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam Swift’s Political Philosophy is an outstanding introduction. The challenge for those new to the subject is twofold: understanding the current state and history of political philosophy; and then examining the issues within logical frameworks that are free from internal contradiction. Readers will already have established their own points of view on many issues, but Swift introduces the historical context and current debate with such non-judgmental ease that it is easy to appreciate both sides of arguments without threat to personal beliefs. Rather than the opinionated (and often distorted) arguments we see daily from politicians and pundits, Swift presents a balanced set of considerations that will make readers consider why they hold particular views, whether those views are internally consistent, and where (and how) debate should be focused as governments try to reconcile their citizens’ different preferences.

Swift breaks his book into five sections: social justice, liberty, equality, community, and democracy. Social justice is different than the retributive justice administered by the criminal justice system, and has to do with “society’s key social and economic institutions, which crucially determine the distribution of benefits and burdens.” John Rawls’ 1971 book 'A Theory of Justice' launched the political philosophy discourse from its prior focus on the history of political thought into its current focus on ‘justice’ and the type of society we want to live in, and it is Rawls’ book that Swift uses as a starting point for discussion. Swift quickly introduces a libertarian counterpoint text by Robert Nozick (Rawls’ contemporary and Harvard colleague), who argues that, unlike Rawls’ egalitarian viewpoint, “justice is not about agreeing fair principles by imagining that we don’t know how lucky or unlucky we have been in the natural or social lottery. It is about respecting people’s right to self-ownership and their right to hold property….”

By using Rawls and Nozick as a type of shorthand base for today’s left-wing and right-wing political thought, Swift ensures the rest of the book is relevant to contemporary societal and political issues, even as he continues to fortify the framework via references to historical political thought (Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Kant, Nietzsche, Hayek). In addition to providing current context to ancient concepts such as liberty, equality and community, and to our more recent development – democracy – Swift also spends considerable time discussing the latest academic thoughts and developments, and ends each chapter with a suggested reading list, complete with helpful comments. The academic debate, like our political and social institutions, is a work in progress.

Most helpful, though, are Swift’s many contemporary examples that highlight each of the issues as they are discussed. The philosophical underpinnings can be oblique or dense, but the topical examples give readers immediate grasp of the issues. (This third edition has updated many examples, e.g. from Tiger Woods to Usain Bolt, which will be particularly helpful to younger students.) Political Philosophy is unusual for its combination of readability and depth, and its deft distillation of complex concepts into practical application. It can and should be enjoyed by a far wider range of readers than its stated audience of students and politicians.

[Ernest · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb readable introduction to politics. Swift tackles many contemporary approaches to political theory in a relatable way that aims to enlighten rather than obscure. No difficult technical phrases are used, and the hypothetical scenarios he posits are extremely engaging.

Throughout all of this, he covers 5 key areas (he concedes that issues of political authority and obligation are left out- perhaps for reasons of space and scope. I do think such topics are important as well, and perhaps can be supplemented by other books. Huemer has a good work on political authority, and I am not sure of any good ones on obligation.) Nonetheless, these 5 areas are:

1. Social Justice (as fairness- Rawls; as entitlement- Nozick; and as desert)

2. Liberty (he tackles the 'red herring' of positive and negative liberty, and instead looks at it as a relational value where one agent X seeks to do Y with the possible contraint of authority Z.)

3. Equality (several common errors and other theories masquerading as equality are also discussed)

4. Community (discussing common communitarian objections to liberalism as well as a substantive communitarian approach to governance)

5. Democracy (intrinsic and instrumental values of democracy).

Good work throughout. A must read for students.

[Zebedy Pebedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential book to read when trying to understand political philosophy. It encourages clarity of thought, makes you think deeper about what you believe, what concepts mean to you, and how that affects your ways of thinking. Filled with good examples, I know I’ll want to read this again to make sure I fully grasp the subtleties he discusses.

It’s funny, I’ve read a significant amount of political philosophy at this point, but I’m not sure how far I’ve gotten. I still don’t really know what I believe, why I do, and how that affects my behaviour. Perhaps experience will teach me. Or more political philosophy

[Soyorin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it for our political philosophy course, and it's a very easy-to-understand book. The topics generally cover some of the most well-debated ones in history. Few sentences are overly long—which helps readers follow along—and it also includes plenty of imaginary examples to help readers understand the topics. Since Adam Swift is a UCL professor (and our professor seems to rely heavily on some of the topics discussed in this book), this book also helped me write my mid-term essay. Thanks a lot Prof. Swift

[Nektarios kouloumpos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ευκολοδιάβαστο και προσιτό για όποιον θέλει να απασχολήσει το μυαλό του με ερωτήματα όπως: γιατί να προτιμήσω τη δημοκρατία; Γιατί δεν θέλω την ισότητα; Μπορώ να την πετύχω; Γιατί δεν θέλω απόλυτη ελευθερία; Τι είναι δικαίωμα και τι υποχρέωση;
Δεν προσφέρει κάποια απάντηση γιατί προφανώς αυτή αφήνεται σε εμάς!
Καλή ανάγνωση

[Pedro Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview for beginners on topics like Justice, Liberty, or Democracy (these were definitely my favourite sections). While the writing isn't technical at all, I would sometimes lose track, and ended up skipping some pages on the Community section as it was, in my opinion, not adding value

[Nathalie van Veen]

Great book that tackles deep, difficult and timeless issues in an understandable way and gives the reader ammunition for modern day political debates. It looks for the tipping point between important values such as freedom and equality.

[Cristian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente libro para introducirse a distintos conceptos utilizados en la política. Justicia social, libertad, igualdad, comunidad y democracia.
Lo mejor de todo? Termina cada capítulo con recomendaciones de lecturas para ir directamente a las fuentes de los temas.

[Jafreen Alamgir · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy book for people who have no idea about how philosophies are adopted in the world of politics.

[Amalina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read and a great introduction for someone like me who wanted a not-too-'fluffy' intro to philosophical ideas relating to politics. Would recommend!

[Levy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much Tony Blair, not enough originality.

[مهدی رنجبریان · Rating 5 out of 5]

داستان نوشتن کتاب جالبه. چندتا مفهوم اصلی فلسفه‌ی سیاسی (آزادی، عدالت، برابری و باهماد/کامیونیتی) رو تا اونجایی که ممکنه ساده توضیح می‌ده و برداشت‌های مختلف‌شون رو بیان می‌کنه. عنوانش هم بسیار مناسبه

[Kalle · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an introductory book, the two-hundred pages all full of interesting points. Somehow, I found this both rather easy to read, but also quite exhausting, hence it took quite a while to finish.

[ninus · Rating 1 out of 5]

Throwback to the time when I thought that reading books on my course reading list could be useful

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just finished my sophomore year of political science. This year has been exhausting but amazing so far. I got to study this book for my Introduction to Political Theory and Philosophy class. Let me tell you one thing; this book is amazing. It's filled with arguments and information necessary for you to make a very plausible argument with anyone on the topics of liberty, justice, democracy, and community. It's an easy read. Everyone should read it.

[Maria Cullimore · Rating 5 out of 5]

An accessible and comprehensive introduction to Political philosophy and its current applications through the lens of John Rawls' writing. Particularly insightful on the distinction between the relatively free scope within which political philosophers can campaign for ideals versus the restrictions imposed on politicians by the 5-year (maximum) re-election period, although Swift does not hesitate to point out politicians' failings as a result.

[carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

En algunos conceptos se lia, como puede ser entender como sinónimos cosas tan diferentes como el género(método de opresión basado en el sexo que favorece al varón, se basa en una serie de estereotipos para deshumanizar a la mujer y ponerla como humana de segunda) y el sexo (hecho material). De igual forma es un poco espeso.

[Christian Oltra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es un libro bien escrito y con un buen esquema. Pero lo que afirma ser una introducción a la filosofía política, acaba siendo una defensa de la perspectiva izquierdista de la filosofía política, con una explicación muy superficial de las perspectivas contrarias.