A full and clear explanation of Christopher Marlowe's classic play about pride, power, and magic. Also included is a modern English translation of the German chapbook version of the Faust story that was originally printed in What does "Beowulf" mean? Why is it important? A medievalist explains the literary and cultural significance of the classic Anglo-Saxon poem.
Tom Butler- Bowdon is the author of the bestselling 50 Classics series, which brings the ideas of important books to a wider audience. The Philosophy Classic Friedrich Nietzsche. A new edition that addresses that might be in order. Feb 26, John Moukad rated it it was ok. A collection that offers brief excerpts and short summaries of the works of 50 political thinkers. While it includes many major thinkers it is pretty idiosyncratic in some of the non-standard inclusions which tilt heavily towards recent American and English-language work.
It would not be a good way to learn about these thinkers, but it was an ok way to quickly revisit their perspectives, and that exercise was instructive at this moment when the future political direction of the US is far A collection that offers brief excerpts and short summaries of the works of 50 political thinkers. It would not be a good way to learn about these thinkers, but it was an ok way to quickly revisit their perspectives, and that exercise was instructive at this moment when the future political direction of the US is far more uncertain than it has long seemed.
Jan 05, Kanske Svartfors rated it it was amazing. I can only say the same thing I said about the book about 50 philosophers. This book succeeds in what it set out to do. It delivers consise, extremely well written, thus understandable, accounts of political thinkers in a nutshell.
I must say, I found this rather boring. I couldn't retain what I read because, of necessity, authors' justifications, arguments etc were not presented. I did get a sense of the breadth of poltitical philosophy, which is useful in itself. Oct 17, Richard Howard rated it liked it Shelves: read As with other volumes in this series, this is a good primer to its subject.
There are some excellent essays, such as those on Mary Wollstonecraft, and some very poor, like the hagiography on Margaret Thatcher but it is generally fair minded with a slight bias to the right. Dec 31, Zak rated it liked it. Does this count as 50 books towards my reading challenge? Good intro if somewhat limited by necessity. Oct 28, Shishir rated it really liked it. An excellent compilation of Political thinkers reflecting not only issues of their times, but many ideologies that we constantly juggle with.
Dec 12, Liz rated it really liked it Shelves: politics. A great range of political writing is summarised nicely in small enough chunks to give you a good overview without getting too bogged down in the details. Jun 21, David Newton rated it it was amazing Shelves: audiobooks , political , philosophy-and-science.
I do appreciate that the author contextualizes most of the works with opposing viewpoints and whether their theories and predictions have withstood the test of time. Jun 17, Tony Brassington rated it it was amazing. Another classic book from Tom. Tom has the ability to bring each of the books he reviews to life, and he gives an account of each book which is both interesting to read and as accurate a reflection of each book as possible.
Dec 09, Greg rated it it was amazing Shelves: top-books. This book is a great reminder of the foundations of political thought over the centuries. While not the definitive list, it gave me a reminder of some of the books that shaped our world view and inspired me to seek out some new works. May 28, Jeanette rated it it was amazing Shelves: first-readers.
I won this book in the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway. I passed this book to my husband, as I knew he would enjoy this book more than I. A man of little words, he said that this book was interesting and very well written. Also said that he would recommend this book to all who are interested in this subject. Nature, as we often say, makes nothing in vain, and man is the only animal whom she has endowed with the gift of speech. And whereas mere voice is but an indication of pleasure or pain, and is therefore found in other animals for their nature attains to the perception of pleasure and pain and the intimation of them to one another, and no further , the power of speech is intended to set forth the expedient and inexpedient, and therefore likewise the just and the unjust.
And it is a characteristic of man that he alone has any sense of good and evil, of just and unjust, and the like, and the association of living beings who have this sense makes a family and a state. Further, the state is by nature clearly prior to the family and to the individual, since the whole is of necessity prior to the part; for example, if the whole body be destroyed, there will be no foot or hand, except in an equivocal sense, as we might speak of a stone hand; for when destroyed the hand will be no better than that.
But things are defined by their working and power; and we ought not to say that they are the same when they no longer have their proper quality, but only that they have the same name. The proof that the state is a creation of nature and prior to the individual is that the individual, when isolated, is not self-sufficing; and therefore he is like a part in relation to the whole.
But he who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god: he is no part of a state. A social instinct is implanted in all men by nature, and yet he who first founded the state was the greatest of benefactors. For man, when perfected, is the best of animals, but, when separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all; since armed injustice is the more dangerous, and he is equipped at birth with arms, meant to be used by intelligence and virtue, which he may use for the worst ends.
Wherefore, if he have not virtue, he is the most unholy and the most savage of animals, and the most full of lust and gluttony. But justice is the bond of men in states, for the administration of justice, which is the determination of what is just, is the principle of order in political society. The History of Animals Aristotle.
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