10 Books Every Politics Student Should Read

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1. plato, the republic (c. 375 BC)

Plato was an Athenian philosopher and one of the first Western thinkers to unite philosophy and politics. the republic discusses the meaning and nature of justice, arguing that a ‘just’ society depends on having a good relationship between three different groups: ‘producers’ (artisans, farmers), ‘auxiliaries’ ( soldiers) and ‘guardians’ (rulers, politicians). addresses ethical and political concerns trying to answer the question: “why do men behave justly?”. he believed that, to be “fair”, men must also be “good”.

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2. nicholas machiavelli, the prince (1532)

Machiavelli was an Italian politician who lived in Florence. the prince marks a major break with earlier trends in western political thought, as it draws on actual past experiences, rather than abstract ethical and political principles. Machiavelli aimed to reveal human nature and power structures for what they really are, by looking at the actual results of men’s past actions. he controversially argues that murder and treason are acceptable if they lead to the achievement and retention of power. Very unpopular with the Catholic Church, the book was dedicated to Lorenzo de’ Medici, the Florentine ruler, with the aim of helping him stay in power.

3. thomas hobbes, leviathan (1651)

hobbes was an english philosopher and monarchist. his leviathan was written in a context of english civil war, with parliament aiming to dethrone charles i and establish a republic. Hobbes maintains that the natural state in which human beings live is anarchy, where the weakest are dominated by the strongest. he suggests that a “social contract” between the people and their sovereign would eliminate the risk of total domination. Arguing against the divine right of kings, a long-established belief that monarchs are selected by God, Hobbes proposes instead that royals hold power only because their subjects allow them to. he does not question the absolute power of the king, but rather suggests that the people approve of it.

4. john locke, second treatise on government (1689)

locke wrote his second treatise on government as a direct response to the political situation in england at the time. morally defines political power; arguing that the state can and should make and enforce laws for the public good. Locke argues that although all people are equal in what he calls a “state of nature,” they must give up some “natural” freedoms upon entering society in order to be protected by common laws. Although very different from Hobbes, Locke also argues that the state only has power over people to the extent that they are willing to accept it. Going further, he writes that sovereignty is firmly in the hands of the people, and they can choose to depose a state executive if it no longer works in their best interests.

5. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract (1762)

Rousseau was a French philosopher who wrote in the decades before the French Revolution. In The Social Contract, he argues that laws are binding only when backed by the general will of the people, and that the people should only support those that secure their freedom. he is critical of the states contemporary with him, writing that they suppressed the physical and civil liberties of “common men”. Rousseau believed that legitimate political authority could only exist if it grew out of a social contract that all citizens had agreed to. his work was innovative, as he spoke of the “common man” rather than the elites. you may have already heard of this one, as the quote “man is born free, but he is chained everywhere” is taken from the social contract.

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10 Books Every Politics Student Should Read | Oxford Scholastica

1. plato, the republic (c. 375 BC)

2. nicholas machiavelli, the prince (1532)

3. thomas hobbes, leviathan (1651)

4. john locke, second treatise on government (1689)

5. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract (1762)

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