Reconsidering C.B. MacPherson

Phillip Hansen is professor emeritus in the Department of Philosophy and Classics at the University of Regina. He is the author of Reconsidering C.B. Macpherson: From Possessive Individualism to Democratic Theory and Beyond, also published by the University of Toronto Press.

‘The book serves as an excellent introduction for the more sophisticated student of political philosophy who is new to Macpherson… In effect, this book is a series of interesting meditations on Macpherson’s thought arguing for his continued importance.’- Jules Townshend (Marx and Philosophy Review of Books April 2016) ‘Under Hansen’s skillful interpretative guidance, the reader is reintroduced to a thinker who confounds many of the stereotypes of Cold War-era Marxist theory…His remarkable achievement is to bring to life C.B. Macpherson’s thought and enduring legacy, his complex blend of traditional and critical philosophy.’- Dr. Lee Ward (Perspectives on Political Science March 2017) ‘Magnificent study of C.B. Macpherson’s political thought… Well researched, splendidly written book.’- Richard K. Matthews (American Political Thought Spring 2017)

• IntroductionChapter One: Possessive Individualism as Critique: History, Ontology and the Roots of LiberalismChapter Two: Human Nature and Democratic Possibilities: Macpherson, Ontology and the Fate of Liberal DemocracyChapter Three: Capitalism, Socialism, and Self-Development: Macpherson and/on MarxChapter Four: C.B. Macpherson, Democracy, and Democratic Theory I: Revisionist Liberalism and the Two Faces of LibertyChapter Five: C.B. Macpherson, Democracy, and Democratic Theory II: Human Rights, Democratic Expressions, and Democratic ModelsChapter Six: Political Theory, Social Science and Social Critique: C.B. Macpherson, Philosophy, and Methodology