Western Political Thought: From the Ancient Greeks to Modern Times, 2nd Edition by Pearson, 2nd Edition

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

I have often wondered at the nature of the hyper-political times we seem to live in. The news about the world, whether of my immediate national context, or from more distant parts, predominantly is about political events; this makes me want to be able to make sense of the importance of politics in our lives all the more. The use of political power to bring about change is a constant motif of our time. Whether it is through the capture of the power of the state, or through the mobilization of large groups of people into a movement, the political domain has become the medium of change and evolution of the world as we know it.

Are the problems that confront us today of such a scale that they cannot be addressed except ...