Product Description

The past quarter of a century has seen dramatic developments in social and political thought. These essays offer an indispensable introduction to some of the most influential amongst them. Quentin Skinner’s Introduction traces broad transformations such as the erosion of empiricist assumptions and the undermining of the positivist ideal of the unification of the sciences by the impact of foreign traditions on English-speaking social science. The essays themselves discuss major figures such as Gadamer, Derrida, Foucault, Habermas, Althusser and Levi-Strauss, giving valuably lucid introductory studies of some difficult but unquestionably major thinkers of our time. Professor Skinner has been awarded the Balzan Prize Life Time Achievement Award for Political Thought, History and Theory. Full details of this award can be found at http://www.balzan.it/News_eng.aspx?ID=2474

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #365184 in Books
• Published on: 1990-09-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Review
‘… lucid and stimulating introduction ... a vivid panorama.’ John Dunn, New Society

‘All the essays are of a high quality, written by respected authorities. All are analytically sound and critically challenging.’ Theory, Culture and Society

‘… the volume provides an excellent introduction to some of the most important themes in contemporary social and political theory’. Contemporary Sociology