Prehistoric myths in modern political philosophy / Karl Widerquist and Grant S. McCall.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Widerquist, Karl, author.

McCall, Grant S., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political science--Philosophy.

History, Ancient--Philosophy.

History--Errors, inventions, etc.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 274 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh University Press 2017

Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, 2017.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

How modern philosophers use and perpetuate myths about prehistory.<p>The state of nature, the origin of property, the origin of government, the primordial nature of inequality and war - why do political philosophers talk so much about the Stone Age? And are they talking about a Stone Age that really happened, or is it just a convenient thought experiment to illustrate their points?</p><p>Karl Widerquist and Grant S. McCall take a philosophical look at the origin of civilisation, examining political theories to show how claims about prehistory are used. Drawing on the best available evidence from archaeology and anthropology, they show that much of what we think we know about human origins comes from philosophers' imagination, not scientific investigation.</p>Key Features<ul><li>Shows how modern political theories employ ambiguous factual claims about prehistory</li><li>Brings archaeological and anthropological evidence to bear on those claims</li><li>Tells the story of human origins in a way that reveals many commonly held misconceptions</li></ul>

Contents:

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Modern political philosophy and prehistoric anthropology: some preliminary issues

The Hobbesian hypothesis: how a colonial prejudice became an essential premise in the most popular justification of government

John Locke and the Hobbesian hypothesis: how a similar colonial prejudice became an essential premise in the most popular justification of private property rights

The Hobbesian hypothesis in eighteenth-century political theory

The Hobbesian hypothesis in nineteenth-century political theory

The Hobbesian hypothesis in contemporary political theory

The Hobbesian hypothesis in anthropology

Nasty and brutish? An empirical assessment of the violence hypothesis

Are you better off now than you were 12,000 years ago? An empirical assessment of the Hobbesian hypothesis

Implications

References

Index.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 11 May 2017).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

CC BY-NC-ND

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Mai 2022)

ISBN:

9781474430968

1474430961

9780748678693

0748678697

9780748678679

0748678670

9781474431200

1474431208

OCLC:

1112361169