Encyclopaedia of Political Theories and Thoughts, Vols. I & II

Contents: Vol. I. Preface. 1. Political thoughts of early China: opposites in Confucius and Mozi. 2. Extending the Confucian School in China: Xunzi. 3. The foundation of western political thought: Socrates. 4. Socrates to Plato: analogies, discards and problems of thought. 5. Scientific methods of Aristotle. 6. India: political and economic thoughts (Niti and Artha) of Chanakya. 7. Cicero and his vision of selflessly ruled Republic in Rome. 8. Al-Farabi realized yet favored the Utopia of a virtuous society. 9. Moses Maimonides and his codes of Jewish law. 10. William of Ockham--the Pioneer of nominalism. 11. Machiavelli's art for rulers. 12. Religious politics in 16 century and Martin Luther's Reform Movement. 13. Calvin: the Logician and systematizer of the Reform Movement. 14. Jean Bodin's ideas of sovereignty. 15. Francis Bacon: truth, Utopia, patriotism and religion. 16. Hugo Grotius: theories on war and natural justice in a warring century. 17. Thomas Hobbes: creating ripples in politics, maths and sciences. 18. Classical Republicanism of James Harrington. 19. Enlightenment thinker John Locke: widest influence on world polity. 20. Montesquieu: theory of separation of powers and birth of liberalism. 21. David Hume: logical positivist who carried forward Locke and Berkeley. 22. Rousseau: political theories which influenced French Revolution. 23. Immanuel Kant on perception, reason and understanding. 24. Adam Smith's rationales of free trade and economy. 25. Burke: the 'Old Whig' with Double standards of thought and action. 26. Thomas Paine: entering American revolution with 'Common sense'. 27. Thomas Jefferson: the leader of man's inalienable rights. 28. Jeremy Bentham's utilitarianism. 29. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel: creator of the German idealism.

Vol. II. 30. Henri de Saint-Simon's social Utopia. 31. Charles Fourier: the socialist thinker for women's rights. 32. Arthur Schopenhauer: influences of Upanishads, Kant and Plato. 33. Auguste Comte: the 'Sociologist'. 34. Scholar of the rising equality in the west: Alexis de Tocqueville. 35. Max Stirner: the Torchbearer of individualistic anarchism. 36. Liberal thoughts in 19 century Britain: John Stuart Mill. 37. Mutualist political thought of socialist tradition: Proudhon. 38. Henry David Thoreau in opposition to an Unjust State. 39. Most influential philosophy of class struggle and dialectical materialism. 40. Spencer's system of synthetic philosophy: survival of the fittest. 41. Radical questioning of the value and objectivity of truth: Nietzsche. 42. Max Weber's sociology of religion. 43. Russell: the anti-imperialist favoured free-trade and popularized philosophy. 44. Giovanni Gentile: the philosopher of fascism and actual idealism. 45. Martin Heidegger: deep influences. 46. Antonio Gramsci: most important Marxist thinker of the 20 century. 47. Leo Strauss and Neoconservatism in United States. 48. Friedrich Hayek: in defence of classical liberalism. 49. Michael Oakeshott's interpretation of the doctrines of Europe. 50. Theodor W. Adorno's Theory of negative dialectics. 51. Hannah Arendt's attempt on going to the roots of totalitarianism. 52. Jean-Paul Sartre's Atheism and existentialism. 53. Hatred for states: social and political role of Islam with Sayyid Qutb. 54. Albert Camus' Absurdism and opposition of totalitarianism. 55. Roland Barthes cast impression across many modern theories. 56. The structural Marxism of Louis Althusser. 57. Rawls' Theory of justice: lasting impression on political philosophy. 58. Cornelius theory of revolutions that bring about change. 59. Derrida's deconstructionism: study of the structure with its genesis. 60. Ronald Dworkin's theory of law as integrity. 61. Radical reforms and Anabaptist doctrines of Thomas Muntzer. 62. Modern objectivism: Ayn Rand's philosophical system. 63. Wilhelm Reich's synthetic theories that termed Pseudoscience.

"This Encyclopaedia carries between its covers the theories and thoughts of about 63 prominent philosophers who made an impression on political life of nations and races. Chapters open from the political thoughts of early China telling about opposites in Confucius and Mozi, extending the Confucian school to Xunzi and go to the foundation of western political thought tracing. Socrates to Plato for analogies, discards and problems of thought and then proceed to the scientific methods of Aristotle.

In Indian context Political and Economic Thoughts (Niti and Artha) of Chanakya are addressed while talking of Cicero's vision of selflessly ruled republic in Rome and Al-Farabi's Utopia of a virtuous society. Then the chapters refer to Moses Maimonides, William of Ockham, Machiavelli and Martin Luther and Calvin's reform movement before Francis Bacon's Truth, Utopia, patriotism and religion. Hugo Grotius, Thomas Hobbes, James Harrington are followed by enlightenment Thinker John Locke.

No study of political thought could be complete without David Hume, Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, Adam Smith, Burke, Paine, Jefferson, Jeremy Bentham's Utilitarianism, Marx's socialism followed by Hegel, Fourier, Gramsci. After Marx, a number of modern political thinkers of 20 century have been included who have reinvented old schools or adapted radical view on things political, social or economic.

Only a brief account of thinkers personal life and career has been included in the chapters which helps the reader in understanding the genesis of their thought, teachings and practices. Apart from the students of political science, this book shall prove an important reference for all those who become interested in the process of development of human thought and philosophy." (jacket)