This book has two aims: first, to stimulate critical reflection on political institutions and practices, and on the various arguments that might be offered for and against them; and second, to give readers an appreciation of the most provocative historical and contemporary contributions to political philosophy.

The book could be used as a free-standing text in an introductory course, or in conjunction with assigned readings from some of the major texts discussed (Plato, Hobbes, Rawls, and others). Although I have aimed for wide coverage, the immense scope of the field necessitates some selectivity, and this book does not pretend to be comprehensive or exhaustive. As a general rule, I have tried as far as possible to steer clear of excessive technical jargon, and of those contemporary debates that seem to me to have become boringly scholastic (e.g. “equality of resources” vs. “equality of welfare”; “individualism” vs. “communitarianism,” and so on).

Although I have not avoided all references to schools of thought, I have also deliberately chosen not to organize the book around ideological worldviews like “liberalism,” “libertarianism,” “socialism,” “feminism,” or “conservatism”. The most interesting arguments too often flow between these various positions. Moreover, I have found that emphasizing them encourages the false view that these ideological fixtures are natural kinds when in fact they reflect highly parochial political divisions. Focusing on them also implies that political philosophers are servants of ideologies, helping to make them more plausible, systematic, and rhetorically effective. We should discourage this perception.