Western Political Thought: From Ancient Greeks to Modern Political Scientists (Paperback-2020)

About the Book

Provides a lucid and accessible account of the entire range of Western political thought, from Plato to post-Second World War British and American political thinkers. 

This textbook thoroughly discusses the historical background of the ideas of a political thinker or a group of thinkers.  For each political philosopher or school of thought, the philosophy is critically discussed, followed by an unbiased evaluation at the end of the chapter.

Western Political Thought will meet the needs of the students of political science, history, philosophy and sociology. It will appeal to the students who have no exposure to the subject as the chapters require no previous understanding of the thinkers and their works. It will also serve as a useful and steady companion for UGC NET and UPSC aspirants.

Key Features:

• Critical analysis of the philosophy of each of the thinkers in light of its applicability and effect on modern political tradition

•  Elaborate discussion of the history of the period that served as a background of the political ideas

• Comprehensive study, based mostly on original texts rather than second references

• Each chapter aided by self-test review questions to assess critical understanding of the topics

About the Author

Amal Kumar Mukhopadhyay, a noted political scientist as well as a constitutional expert, is a product of Presidency College, Kolkata, and London School of Economics and Political Science. He spent his entire professional career at Presidency College, Kolkata, first as a Senior Professor of Political Science then as Head of the Department of Political Science and finally as its Principal. Besides, after retirement, he served for 12 years as Director of IAS Training Centre at Presidency College. For 40 years, he edited Socialist Perspective, an English journal of social sciences. Some of his English books are The Ethics of Obedience (1967), Society and Politics in Contemporary India (edited, 1974), Political Sociology (1977), The Bengali Intellectual Tradition (edited, 1979), The Political Miscellany (edited, 1986), Western Political Thought: From Plato to Marx (1988), A Journey across the Indian Constitution (2017), Metaphysics, Morals and Politics: An Enquiry into the Ideas of T.H. Green (2017) and An Introduction to Political Theory (2019).