Medieval Political Philosophy: A Sourcebook (Agora Editions) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0801449626 ISBN 13: 9780801449628

Publisher: Cornell University Press, 2011

Synopsis

Medieval Political Philosophy: A Sourcebook, edited by Ralph Lerner and Muhsin Mahdi, has been a classroom favorite since its publication in 1963. When it first appeared, it was the only anthology of medieval political philosophy to contain major texts from all three Western monotheistic traditions-Christianity, Judaism, and Islam-and that claim remains true today. This new edition of this classic text of political philosophy-revised and enlarged by Joshua Parens and Joseph C. Macfarland-will make accessible to today's students the insights of these profound medieval thinkers. Prior to the modern separation of religion from politics, these medieval thinkers explored a variety of approaches to the relation between religion and politics-approaches that prompted renewed interest in a world divided over how best to relate the two. For the authors gathered in this volume-including Alfarabi, Alghazali, Averroes, Maimonides, Judah Halevi, Thomas Aquinas, Boethius of Dacia, and Dante Alighieri among many others-there was a greater uniformity of general intention than at any other period. All of these authors studied the works of classical political philosophy and considered in a variety of ways the implications of this political thought for their contemporary situation in a monotheistic religious community.

About this title

Review:

"This updated collection is as timely now as it was back then: few students of political theory are sufficiently conversant with the rich medieval tradition of reflection on such problems as 'reason and revelation' or 'natural and divine law.' . . . One cannot argue with the enduring relevance of this work for the study of political philosophy. Summing Up: Highly recommended."--Choice (January 2012)

About the Author:

Joshua Parens is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Dallas. He is the author of Metaphysics as Rhetoric: Alfarabi's "Summary of Plato's `Laws'" and An Islamic Philosophy of Virtuous Religions. Joseph C. Macfarland is a tutor at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0801449626
• ISBN 13: 9780801449628
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 456
• Editor: Parens Joshua