Political Thinkers for Our Time explains the principles that are foundational to the Anglo-American political tradition by looking at leading thinkers and statesmen who wrote about them. In discussing each thinker, William T. Reddinger introduces such principles as the rule of law, property rights, religious liberty, and limited government. Throughout, Reddinger shows how these figures can inform our thinking about important issues in contemporary American political discourse.
Following a collection of brief biographies, the remaining chapters treat each individual thinker's views about foundational principles, expositing their best-known writings. The second chapter explores Edmund Burke's understanding of liberty, and the third chapter looks at Alexis de Tocqueville's views on equality. Chapter 4 examines Abraham Lincoln's understanding of republican self-government. Chapter 5 discusses the Federalist Papers and the US Constitution. Chapter 6 focuses on George Washington and his contribution to religious liberty. The seventh and eighth chapters consider how twentieth-century economists Friedrich Hayek and Wilhelm Röpke can inform our thinking about the free market. Political Thinkers for Our Time will help readers better understand the ideals that have been central to the American political order for more than two centuries.