Books in the Rethinking the Western Tradition (YUP) series

This work argues for reason over anarchy and seems to advocate what many see as an elitist model of culture. This edition adds to the debate with essays from Maurice Cowling, Gerald Graff, Samuel Lipman and Steven Marcus.

Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), philosopher and reformer, is one of the most influential thinkers of the modern age. This introduction to his writings presents a representative selection of texts authoritatively restored by the Bentham Project, University College London.

Originally published almost 150 years ago, five parts of "The Idea of a University" - "University Teaching" and four selections from "University Subjects" - are reproduced here, along with five essays by contemporary scholars exploring the present day relevance of Newman's themes.

This book brings together two seminal works by George Santayana, one of the most significant philosophers of the twentieth century: Character and Opinion in the United States, which stands with Tocquevilles Democracy in America as one the most insightful works of American cultural criticism ever written, and The Genteel Tradition in American Philosophy, a landmark text of both philosophical analysis and cultural criticism.An introduction by James Seaton situates Santayana in the intellectual and cultural context of his own time. Four additional essays include John Lachs onthe ways Santayanas understanding of the soul of America help explain the relative peace among nationalities and ethnic groups in the United States; Wilfred M. McClay on Santayanas life of the mind as it relates to dominant trends in American culture; Roger Kimball on Santayanas most uncommon benefice, common sense; and James Seaton on Santayanas distinction between English liberty and fierce liberty. All the essays serve to highlight the relevance of Santayanas ideas to current issues in American culture, including education, immigration, and civil rights.

A central figure in Western history and American political thought, Thomas Paine continues to provoke debate among politicians, activists, and scholars. People of all ideological stripes are inspired by his trenchant defense of the rights and good sense of ordinary individuals, and his penetrating critiques of arbitrary power. This volume contains Paine's explosive Common Sense in its entirety, including the oft-ignored Appendix, as well as selections from his other major writings: The American Crisis, Rights of Man, and The Age of Reason. It also contains several of Paine's shorter essays. All the documents have been transcribed directly from the originals, making this edition the most reliable one available. Essays by Ian Shapiro, Jonathan Clark, Jane Calvert, and Eileen Hunt Botting bring Paine into sharp focus, illuminating his place in the tumultuous decades surrounding the American and French Revolutions and his larger historical legacy.

A compact and accessible edition of Hume's political and moral writings with essays by a distinguished set of contributors