Leslie Paul Thiele is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida. He received his Ph.D. from
Princeton University in 1989. His teaching and research interests include political philosophy and environmental
ethics and politics. Dr. Thiele has received grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities,
the Social Science and Research Council of Canada, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council.
His scholarly articles appear in such journals as the American Political Science Review, Political Theory, Polity,
Journal of Modern History, Environmental Ethics, and Policy Studies Journal. His other books include Friedrich
Nietzsche and the Politics of the Soul (1990); Timely Meditations: Martin Heidegger and Postmodern Politics (1995);
and Environmentalism for a New Millennium: The Challenge of Coevolution (1999). Dr. Thiele is currently writing
a book on human judgment and is involved in a research project on environmental education.
Review
"Thinking Politics covers both the conceptual/theoretical and historical issues in an engaging and creative
manner. Thiele should be commended for humanizing the study of political thought without losing insight of the
continuity and change."
--Ruth Iyob, University of Missouri
"In searching for a text that gives a general but detailed overview of both the history of political philosophy
and its more contemporary formulations I found nothing that compared to the depth and breadth of Thiele's book."
--Greg Johnson, Pacific Lutheran University
"A student with little or no background can successfully negotiate this text. Thiele is a very patient writer
in that his explanations are thorough and direct: he seems to coax understanding from the reader."
--Michael Berheide, Berea College
Chatham House Publishers Web Site, January, 2003
Summary
The revised edition of this intellectually engaging and popular book includes a valuable new section on justice,
plus updated material throughout. Rather than reproduce a broad survey of a canon of thinkers, Thiele explores
the art and craft of political theory while integrating the insights of ancient, modern, and postmodern political
thought. To this end the nature of politics and the nature of theory are discussed extensively. The text's aim
is to help students develop analytic and interpretive skills, the moral and philosophic judgment, and the social
and historical knowledge needed to appreciate a tradition of political thought, to contest its claims, and to make
good use of its insights. Notably, Thinking Politics provides students with a manageable introduction to postmodern
thought integrated with the long and venerable tradition of political theory.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Theory and Vision
Setting Our Sights
Parsimony, Accuracy and Significance
Scientific Theory
The Interpretive Nature of Political Theory
Hermeneutics and Intersubjectivity
Conceptual and Historical Analysis
2. The Question of Human Nature
The Political Significance of Human Nature
The Genetic Leash
Genes and Mores
Biological and Cultural Reproduction
3. Politics, Power, and the Public Good
Power and Force
The Nature of Political Power
The Public Realm and the Private Realm
4. Modernity and Postmodernity
Individualist Theories of Politics
Structuralist Theories of Politics
Poststructural and Postmodern Theories of Politics
Identity and the Exercise of Power
Social Power and Individual Freedom
Theorizing at the Edge of Modernity
5. Identity and Difference
Race, Religion, and Otherness
The Other in America
Limiting Power and Respecting Difference
Gender and Identity
The Historical Development of Feminism
Gender Justice
Equality and Difference
Feminism, Liberalism, and Patriarchy
The Politics of Class
Alienation and Revolution
Ideology
History and Class Conflict
Communism versus Socialism
6. Statecraft and Soulcraft
Politics and Philosophy in Ancient Greece
Reason in the Soul and State
The Politics of Unity and Plurality
The Life of Liberty
Positive and Negative Liberty
The Excesses and Deficiencies of Freedom
Mastery and Liberty
The Rule of Reason
Economic Reason
Classical Reason
Ecological Reason
The Balance of Justice
The Primacy of Justice
The Limits of Justice
Giving to Each What is Due
7. Ideology and Irony
The Nature of Ideology
The Nature of Irony
Between Ideology and Irony
Conclusion
