The British Idealists

The British idealists made significant and lasting contributions to the social and political thought of the nineteenth century. They contributed to the evolution debate in insisting that the social organism could not be understood in naturalistic terms, but instead had to be conceived as an evolving spiritual unity. In this respect the British idealists developed a distinctive view of the state constitutive of the individual and they are commonly acknowledged as the forerunners of modern communitarian theory. Furthermore the idealists contributed to the major debates of their day, including evolution, democracy, the role of the state, education and international relations. In his introduction, David Boucher develops the themes illustrated in the writings of the British idealists. This volume also contains biographies of the British idealists which incorporate their principal works.

• No similar collection exists • Introduction by the editor which develops the themes illustrated in the writings of the British Idealists • Contains a biography of each of the Idealists including a guide to further reading

Acknowledgements; Editor’s introduction; Idealist biographies; A note on the texts; Select bibliography of secondary sources; Part I. Evolution and Society: 1. The social organism Henry Jones; 2. Man’s place in the cosmos: Professor Huxley on nature and man Andrew Seth (Pringle-Pattison); 3. Socialism and natural selection Bernard Bosanquet; 4. Ethical democracy: evolution and democracy D. G. Ritchie; Part II. Individualism, Collectivism, and the General Will: 5. Ideal morality F. H. Bradley; 6. The reality of the general will Bernard Bosanquet; 7. The rights of the minorities D. G. Ritchie; 8. The dangers of democracy J. S. Mackenzie; 9. Individualism and socialism Edward Caird; 10. The coming of socialism Henry Jones; Part III. The State and International Relations: 11. The right of the state over the individual in war T. H. Green; 12. What imperialism means J. H. Muirhead; 13. German philosophy in relation to the war John Watson; 14. The function of the state in promoting the unity of mankind Bernard Bosanquet.