Social and Political Philosophy

This accessible book is invaluable to anyone coming to social and political philosophy for the first time. It provides a broad survey of key social and political questions in modern society, as well as clear discussions of the philosophical issues central to those questions and to political thought more generally. Unique among books of this kind, it includes a sustained treatment specifically of social philosophy, including coverage of topics like race and racism, gender, marriage, and the effects of social media on politics and community life. The relation between such social questions and specifically political topics is discussed. These topics include: political authority, economic justice, the limits of tolerance, considerations of community, race, gender, and culture in questions of justice, and radical critiques of current political theories.

Key updates to the third edition include a more sustained discussion of nationalism, technology and social media, and the tradition of critical theory. In addition, there is an entirely new chapter on environmental justice.

Key Features:

• Considers social philosophy as a specific topic, opening up coverage beyond state-centered policy issues to include questions like sexism, pornography, and racism.
• Includes a “Case to Consider” in each chapter, spurring discussion of current topics in the classroom and encouraging further reflection by the reader.
• A new chapter on climate justice addresses environmental injustices while exploring questions of moral value concerning animal rights and sentiocentrism.

John Christman is Professor of Philosophy, Political Science and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Penn State University. He has produced several books and edited volumes in social and political philosophy. These include The Myth of Property: Toward an Egalitarian Theory of Ownership (Oxford University Press, 1994), The Politics of Persons: Individual Autonomy and Socio-historical Selves (Cambridge University Press, 2010), and Reconceiving Freedom from the Shadows of Slavery: Liberty in a Non-Ideal World (Cambridge University Press, 2025).