The Enlightenment is an authoritative anthology of the key political writings from 'one of the best and most hopeful episodes in the life of mankind'. The texts are supported by a lucid introduction exploring their moral, philosophical, political and economic background, enabling the student to grasp both the context and the essence of each argument. Biographical notes and carefully selected bibliographies offer further help. The selection includes not only mainstream theories but also texts by authors actively engaged in the politics of the day, offering a broad and genuinely trans-European perspective. David Williams, a distinguished Enlightenment scholar, offers readers a view of the evolution of Enlightenment political thinking in a variety of contexts: natural law, the civil order, the nation state, government, civil rights, women's rights, international relations, economics, crime and punishment, and revolution. Students of political science, history, European studies, international relations, law and philosophy will find this an invaluable resource.
Introduction; Select bibliography; Part I. Natural Law: 1. Burlamaqui: Principles of natural right [and natural law]; Part II. The Civil Order: 2. Rousseau: Discourse on the origin and the foundations of inequality among men and The social contract; 3. Priestley: Essay on the first principles of government, and on the nature of political, civil and religious liberty; Part III. The Nation State: 4. Voltaire: Homeland and Man; 5. Herder: Ideas for a philosophy of the history of mankind and Letters for the advancement of humanity; Part IV. Government: 6. Hume: That politics may be reduced to a science, On the first principles of government, Of the origin of government, and Idea of a perfect commonwealth; 7. Montesquieu: The spirit of the laws; 8. Moser: The master and the servant; Part V. Civil Rights: 9. Diderot: Political authority, City, Citizen and Natural law; 10. Condorcet: Reflections on black slavery; 11. Gouges: The rights of women; 12. Wollstonecraft: A vindication of the rights of woman: with strictures on political and moral subjects; Part VI. International Relations: 13. Saint-Pierre: A project to establish permanent peace in Europe; 14. Barbeyrac: Notes on Grotius' On the law of war and peace; 15. Kant: Perpetual peace: a philosophical sketch; Part VII. Trade and Economics: 16. Mandeville: The moral [of the Fable of the bees]; 17. Quesnay: The economic tableau; 18. Smith: An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations; Part VIII. Crime and Punishment: 19. Beccaria: On crimes and punishment; Part IX. Revolution: 20. Paine: Common sense; 21. Sieyes: What is the third estate?; 22. Burke: Reflections on the revolution in France; Index
