The task of political theory is to explore the nature and character of political judgments with a view to helping us understand the reasons for past judgments and to help us make better ones. Why do we think that everyone has a right to an equal stake in politics? On what grounds can we discriminate between the claims and counter-claims that assert that the poor, or women, or immigrants should not be allowed a voice? Exploring the normative claims that permeate our social world is a fascinating and demanding experience. This textbook is an introduction to political theory. Our goal is to make the unfamiliar familiar and to give a conceptual toolkit that will help understand and engage with political ideas. One of the principal driving forces of this book is the belief that there are two sets of tools that students of political theory need in order to gain critical purchase on the subject. Uncertainty about the most appropriate way of confronting the political, social and economic issues in the current era provides one of the key rationales for this book: the establishment of an overview and guide to the leading concepts, theories and problems in political theory at a time when there are doubts about their coherence and significance. This is intended to leave the reader with an historical and conceptual map to aid them in further study and a clear grasp of the basic vocabulary in which such study is undertaken. Most importantly it should give them the ability to interrogate the traditional concepts and effectively intervene in the debates.
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