Alan Haworth – författare

When Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin first came to power in the 1930s, their regimes were considered by many to represent a new and perplexing phenomenon. They were labelled ‘totalitarian’. But is ‘totalitarianism’ genuinely new, or is the word just another name for something old and familiar, namely tyranny?

This is the first question to be addressed by Alan Haworth in this book, which explores the relevance of philosophy to the understanding of totalitarianism. In the course of the discussion, definitions are tested. Is it coherent to think of totalitarianism as the imposition of a ‘total state’, or of ‘total control’? Could it even be that the idea of totalitarianism is a ‘non-concept’?

Examining the work of the totalitarian philosophers Giovanni Gentile and Carl Schmitt, the idea of ‘totalitarianism by other means’ as represented in dystopian fiction, and the philosophy of Hannah Arendt, Totalitarianism and Philosophy is essential reading for all students and scholars of political philosophy.

When Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin first came to power in the 1930s, their regimes were considered by many to represent a new and perplexing phenomenon. They were labelled ‘totalitarian’. But is ‘totalitarianism’ genuinely new, or is the word just another name for something old and familiar, namely tyranny?

This is the first question to be addressed by Alan Haworth in this book, which explores the relevance of philosophy to the understanding of totalitarianism. In the course of the discussion, definitions are tested. Is it coherent to think of totalitarianism as the imposition of a ‘total state’, or of ‘total control’? Could it even be that the idea of totalitarianism is a ‘non-concept’?

Examining the work of the totalitarian philosophers Giovanni Gentile and Carl Schmitt, the idea of ‘totalitarianism by other means’ as represented in dystopian fiction, and the philosophy of Hannah Arendt, Totalitarianism and Philosophy is essential reading for all students and scholars of political philosophy.

Free Speech is a philosophical treatment of a topic which is of immense importance to all of us.Writing with great clarity, wit, and genuine concern, Alan Haworth situates the main arguments for free speech by tracing their relationship to contemporary debates in politics and political philosophy, and their historical roots to earlier controversies over religious toleration.Free Speech will appeal to anyone with an interest in philosophy, politics and current affairs.

Free Speech is a philosophical treatment of a topic which is of immense importance to all of us.Writing with great clarity, wit, and genuine concern, Alan Haworth situates the main arguments for free speech by tracing their relationship to contemporary debates in politics and political philosophy, and their historical roots to earlier controversies over religious toleration.Free Speech will appeal to anyone with an interest in philosophy, politics and current affairs.

Free marketeers claim that theirs is the only economic mechanism which respects and furthers human freedom. Socialism, they say, has been thoroughly discredited. Most libertarians treat the state in anything other than its minimal, ''nightwatchman'' form as a repressive embodiment of evil. Some reject the state altogether.But is the ''free market idea'' a rationally defensible belief? Or do its proponents fail to examine the philosophical roots of their so-called freedom? Anti-libertarianism takes a sceptical look at the conceptual tenets of free market politics. Alan Haworth argues that libertarianism is little more than an unfounded, quasi-religious statement of faith: a market romance. Moreover, libertarianism is exposed as profoundly antithetical to the very freedom which it purports to advance.This controversial book is for anyone interested in the cultural and political impact of free market policies on the modern world. It will be invaluable to students and specialists of political and economic theory, social science and philosophy.

Free marketeers claim that theirs is the only economic mechanism which respects and furthers human freedom. Socialism, they say, has been thoroughly discredited. Most libertarians treat the state in anything other than its minimal, ''nightwatchman'' form as a repressive embodiment of evil. Some reject the state altogether.But is the ''free market idea'' a rationally defensible belief? Or do its proponents fail to examine the philosophical roots of their so-called freedom? Anti-libertarianism takes a sceptical look at the conceptual tenets of free market politics. Alan Haworth argues that libertarianism is little more than an unfounded, quasi-religious statement of faith: a market romance. Moreover, libertarianism is exposed as profoundly antithetical to the very freedom which it purports to advance.This controversial book is for anyone interested in the cultural and political impact of free market policies on the modern world. It will be invaluable to students and specialists of political and economic theory, social science and philosophy.

Celebrating the centenary of the Parliamentary Labour Party, this fascinating book commemorates the twenty-nine founding Labour MPs elected in 1906, including Labour’s first Prime Minister, first Chancellor of the Exchequer, first Minister of Labour, and a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

With a foreword by Tony Blair, Men Who Made Labour focuses on the pioneers’ origins, expectations, world vision and achievements in the context of early twentieth-century conditions, when the prospect of any Labour government was still a distant dream.

Drawing upon a vast array of previously unpublished material, and with obituaries primarily written by the twenty-first century successors to those original MPs, the text provides a unique insight into how today’s politicians view their party’s past – ensuring that it is an excellent resource for all politics and modern history students, as well as general readers with an interest in the area.

Celebrating the centenary of the Parliamentary Labour Party, this fascinating book commemorates the twenty-nine founding Labour MPs elected in 1906, including Labour’s first Prime Minister, first Chancellor of the Exchequer, first Minister of Labour, and a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

With a foreword by Tony Blair, Men Who Made Labour focuses on the pioneers’ origins, expectations, world vision and achievements in the context of early twentieth-century conditions, when the prospect of any Labour government was still a distant dream.

Drawing upon a vast array of previously unpublished material, and with obituaries primarily written by the twenty-first century successors to those original MPs, the text provides a unique insight into how today’s politicians view their party’s past – ensuring that it is an excellent resource for all politics and modern history students, as well as general readers with an interest in the area.

Understanding the Political Philosophers is an absorbing and accessible introduction to the major philosophers and core texts of western political philosophy.

Organised historically - beginning with Socrates and Plato, and concluding with post-Rawlsian theory - Alan Haworth presents the key ideas and developments with clarity and depth. Each chapter provides a concentrated study of a given thinker or group of thinkers and together they constitute a broad account of the main arguments in political philosophy.

There are chapters on Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, the Utilitarians, Marx, and Rawls’s early work. This revised second edition has been brought fully up-to-date, and includes expanded coverage of the period from the death of Aristotle to the sixteenth century, as well as a new chapter on Rawls’s later philosophy and the direction of post-Rawlsian philosophy.

Including a chronology and suggestions for further reading, Understanding the Political Philosophers is an ideal introductory text for students taking courses in political philosophy or political theory.

Understanding the Political Philosophers is an absorbing and accessible introduction to the major philosophers and core texts of western political philosophy.

Organised historically - beginning with Socrates and Plato, and concluding with post-Rawlsian theory - Alan Haworth presents the key ideas and developments with clarity and depth. Each chapter provides a concentrated study of a given thinker or group of thinkers and together they constitute a broad account of the main arguments in political philosophy.

There are chapters on Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, the Utilitarians, Marx, and Rawls’s early work. This revised second edition has been brought fully up-to-date, and includes expanded coverage of the period from the death of Aristotle to the sixteenth century, as well as a new chapter on Rawls’s later philosophy and the direction of post-Rawlsian philosophy.

Including a chronology and suggestions for further reading, Understanding the Political Philosophers is an ideal introductory text for students taking courses in political philosophy or political theory.

By the mid-twentieth century interest in political philosophy had dwindled, with one writer even pronouncing the subject ‘dead’. Things were to change in 1971, when the subject experienced a renaissance with the publication of John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice. The story didn’t end with Rawls however, as other avenues through which to approach the subject became available.

In Political Philosophy After 1945 Alan Haworth tells the story of political philosophy from the mid-twentieth century to the early twenty-first. First, he considers why the subject should have become marginalised by mainstream philosophical movements such as logical positivism and the ‘ordinary language philosophy’ inspired by Wittgenstein. Subsequent chapters explain the fundamentals of Rawls’s theory, and then compare and contrast his contribution with that of other philosophers from across the political spectrum. These are followed by chapters in which alternative approaches are examined. There are in-depth accounts of works by Hannah Arendt and Alasdair MacIntyre, as well as an evaluation of the claim that political philosophy exemplifies the pursuit of a moribund ‘Enlightenment project’.

Throughout the book, Haworth strikes a balance between historical perspective and close analysis of major texts, and he is careful to emphasise the relevance of theoretical issues to questions which arise beyond theory. As such, Political Philosophy After 1945 is essential reading for students and scholars of political philosophy, but also serves as an introduction for students from across the Humanities and Social Sciences approaching the topic for the first time.

By the mid-twentieth century interest in political philosophy had dwindled, with one writer even pronouncing the subject ‘dead’. Things were to change in 1971, when the subject experienced a renaissance with the publication of John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice. The story didn’t end with Rawls however, as other avenues through which to approach the subject became available.

In Political Philosophy After 1945 Alan Haworth tells the story of political philosophy from the mid-twentieth century to the early twenty-first. First, he considers why the subject should have become marginalised by mainstream philosophical movements such as logical positivism and the ‘ordinary language philosophy’ inspired by Wittgenstein. Subsequent chapters explain the fundamentals of Rawls’s theory, and then compare and contrast his contribution with that of other philosophers from across the political spectrum. These are followed by chapters in which alternative approaches are examined. There are in-depth accounts of works by Hannah Arendt and Alasdair MacIntyre, as well as an evaluation of the claim that political philosophy exemplifies the pursuit of a moribund ‘Enlightenment project’.

Throughout the book, Haworth strikes a balance between historical perspective and close analysis of major texts, and he is careful to emphasise the relevance of theoretical issues to questions which arise beyond theory. As such, Political Philosophy After 1945 is essential reading for students and scholars of political philosophy, but also serves as an introduction for students from across the Humanities and Social Sciences approaching the topic for the first time.