Political Questions: Political Philosophy from Plato to Pinker, Fourth Edition by Larry Arnhart offers a comprehensive exploration of political philosophies spanning centuries. This enhanced fourth edition delves into the thought-provoking questions posed by some of history’s most influential political thinkers, including Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Descartes, Rousseau, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, and Rawls. Arnhart’s clear and well-written guide makes these complex theories accessible to readers, serving as an ideal supplement to the original texts at the start of each chapter.

Updated content includes a new discussion on Thomas Hobbes that covers his work Blefheim, in addition to the traditional examination of Leviathan. The John Locke chapter now incorporates both his Letter Concerning Toleration and the original text of the Second Treatise of Government. A new section on Adam Smith introduces readers to The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations. Further, an analysis of Leo Strauss’s works, such as Persecution and the Art of Writing and Natural Right and History, enriches the discussion. The edition concludes with a detailed examination of Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature.

This fourth edition provides an even more comprehensive overview, making it an invaluable resource for students and scholars interested in political philosophy.