An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice

Description

Godwin's Political Justice is the founding work of philosophical anarchism. Drawing on the principles of liberty and utility Godwin criticizes government and all forms of secular and religious authority, advocating the free exercise of individual judgement. He raises enduring questions about the nature of our duty to others.

• The only critical edition of this founding text in the history of political philosophy, including invaluable introduction and notes.
• Its powerful critique of the institutions of government and support for individual liberty of judgement raises profound questions about the nature of our duty to others that is still relevant today.
• Uses the first edition of 1793 which best reflects the close connection between the dynamism of the text and its historical context, capturing the full original power of his argument and imagination.
• The Introduction gives a clear guide to the core argument of Political Justice, showing how it developed and how it connects to modern philosophical concerns, as well setting it in the context of Godwin's life and the history of the period.
• Invaluable notes explain historical references and allusions.

About the Author(s)

William Godwin

Mark Philp is the General Editor of the Collected Novels and Memoirs of William Godwin, 8 vols (1992), the Political and Philosophical Writings of William Godwin, 7 vols (1993), and has also co-edited The Diary of William Godwin (2010). His books include Godwin's Political Justice (1986), Thomas Paine (2007), Political Conduct (2007), and, with Joanna Innes, Re-Imagining Democracy in the Age of Revolutions (Oxford, 2013).