Publisher's Synopsis
A philosophical inquiry to emphasize the linkage between historicism and material environment on one end, with the evolution of political and international thought on the other.
How did the human political and international thought evolve under material unfolding of history, in the overall backdrop of struggle for power and influence? Why was Hobbes inclined to contractual legitimacy of political power? Why was Locke a supporter of liberty and why did his ideals unfold successfully in the American constitution? What the unconservative ideas of Rousseau owe and mean? Why Kant, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Burke, Hume, Smith and other thinkers meant so, when they did stand up for their ideals? What the inevitable clash of liberty with socialism means and how did it slowly develop through various revolutions; as seen through the eyes of Owen, Fourier, Engels, Marx, Thoreau, Proudhon, Mill, Morley, Oakeshott and Rawls? ... And more importantly, what lies beneath the making of moral and liberal political ideologies? How all of that is replicated in the international politics?And how all of that remains a prelude to reach humble conclusions on the subjectivity in human understanding, the impact of materialism on political thinking, and acknowledgement of ever troubling nature of relationship between power and legitimacy. The book attempts to present a revisionist view of not only what the domestic and international political thinkers meant, but more importantly why they meant so, and how did the implications of their thoughts and unfolding of events impact the evolution of domestic and international politics.
