Selected Political Writings of Priestley (Cambridge History of Political Thought Original Series Facsimile Edition)

Author: (English) Joseph Priestley
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: In the field of political theory, the "Cambridge History of Political Thought Originals Series" has firmly established its position as a major textbook series for students. This series aims to enable students to access all the most important original works in the history of Western political thought from ancient Greece to the early 20th century. It includes all the famous classic works but also expands the traditional evaluation criteria to include a wide range of less well-known works. Many of these works had never been available in modern English editions before. Whenever possible, the selected original works are published in their complete, unabbreviated form, with translations specifically arranged for the purpose of this series. Each book features a critical introduction, along with a historical timeline, biographical sketches, a guide to further reading, and necessary glossaries and annotations. The ultimate goal of this series is to provide a clear outline of the entire development of Western political thought.
Author Bio: Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) was one of the great intellectual figures of the English Enlightenment and also one of its outstanding political theorists. His discussion of "civil liberty" is crucial to understanding the debates that swirled around the War of American Independence and the Dissenters' bid for wider religious tolerance. His response to these events was informed by his central commitment to a natural right to "freedom of thought." Despite the fundamental importance of this concept in modern political thought, Priestley's role in its articulation has been ill-served by the absence of a modern edition of those works in which the argument was forged. This new collection will be the first to make accessible to students Priestley's Essay on the First Principles of Government and The Present State of Liberty in Great Britain and America, which reflect his most concentrated engagement with these issues at a crucial moment in his own life and that of the state. An introduction and notes, together with guides to further reading and key figures in the text, provide the student with all the material necessary for approaching Priestley.