The Opinion of Mankind: Sociability and the Theory of the State from Hobbes to Smith

Description

How David Hume and Adam Smith forged a new way of thinking about the modern state What is the modern state? Conspicuously undertheorized in recent political theory, this question persistently animated the best minds of the Enlightenment. Recovering David Hume and Adam Smith's long-underappreciated contributions to the history of political though

Paul Sagar is lecturer of political theory in the Department of Political Economy at King's College London. Prior to this he was junior research fellow in politics at King's College, Cambridge.

"[An] excellent book." * Survival: Global Politics and Strategy * "True to his promise in the introduction, Sagar's careful historical analysis recovers arguments that have not lost their interest and urgency. The book is important reading for anyone interested in the political theory of the period or the historical background of current trends towards 'realism' in political theory."---Clifton Mark, Political Theory "[A] scholarly and provocative study." * Journal of Markets & Morality * "The Opinion of Mankind is a major addition to Hanoverian historiography, of great interest not only to scholars in the field but also to graduate students wishing to gain a deeper understanding of the Scottish contribution to enlightenment political literature."---Karl W. Schweizer, European Legacy