Michael Lessnoff
Biographic Data
| ID | 272157 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Michael Lessnoff |
| GIVEN NAMES | Michael |
| FAMILY NAME | Lessnoff |
| SIGNATURE | LESSNOFF M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Glasgow |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 29 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 83 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 29 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1968 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Ernest Gellner and Contemporary Social Thought
Ernest Gellner was a unique scholar whose work covered areas as diverse as social anthropology, analytical philosophy, the sociology of the Islamic world, nationalism, psychoanalysis, East European transformations and kinship structures. Despite this diversity, there is an exceptional degree of unity and coherence in Gellner's work with his distinctly modernist, rationalist and liberal world-view evident in everything he wrote. His central proble…
Max Weber's Politics of Civil Society
The Principle of Fairness and Political Obligation
Religion and Economic Action: The Protestant Ethic, the Rise of Capitalism and the Abuses of Scholarship
Political Culture in Contemporary Britain: People and Politicians, Principles and Practice
Political Culture in Contemporary Britain: People and Politicians, Principles and Practice
This book examines what the British people and their politicians really think about the fundamentals of politics. Based on new and revealing survey data, it presents an analysis of British attitudes to civil, political, and social rights. The book uncovers two broad ‘macro-dimensions’ of political principle — liberty and equality — which underlie a large number of more specific principles and shape people’s responses to many practical issues. Con…
Social Contract Theory
Journal Article Book Reviews Get access Social Contract Theory. Edited By Michael Lessnoff. (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1990. Pp. 233. Price £10.95 pb.). James W. Child James W. Child Bowling Green State University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 42, Issue 168, July 1992, Pages 375–378, https://doi.org/10.2307/2219689 Published: 01 July 1992
Culmination, Critique and Restatement of Contract Theory
Our task in this chapter is to depict the culmination of the classic phase of contract theory, and at the same time the development of a powerful critique of its basic postulates. This critique did not by any means immediately destroy the currency of the theory — that was the work of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Nevertheless, the contract theorists whose work we shall now survey differ in an important respect from almost al…
Introductory
In recent decades the theory of social contract, long thought by many to be by now of purely historical interest, has enjoyed a spectacular rebirth. Primarily this has been a phenomenon of political and moral philosophy, yet it has manifested itself too at the level of practical politics. ‘At the heart of our programme to save the nation lies the Social Contract’; these are the words of the manifesto published by the British Labour Party just bef…
A Defence of Contract Theory against Some of its Critics
Fifty years ago a distinguished historian of the social contract, J. W. Gough, wrote that Kant’s political philosophy ‘brings us within sight of the end of the history of the contract theory’ (Gough, 1957, p.181). Recent developments have shown this judgement to be premature, as we shall shortly illustrate at some length. Nevertheless, Gough had apparently good grounds for his remark. In the first place, it is true that after the time of Kant’s w…
The Middle Ages and the Renaissance
‘No man can make himself king or emperor, the people raise a man above them in this way in order that he may govern them in accordance with right reason, give to each one his own, protect the good, destroy the wicked, and administer justice to every man. But if he violates the contract ( pactum ) under which he was elected, disturbing and confounding that which he was established to set in order, then the people is justly and reasonably released …
Social Contract Theory in Seventeenth-Century Britain
Throughout the seventeenth century the peace of Europe continued to be disturbed by religious quarrels stemming from the Reformation, as well as the habitual struggles for power between kings and their enemies; and in the arguments provoked by these disturbances the theory of social contract provided a widely accepted idiom, perhaps more widely accepted than ever before or since. At any rate this was so in Britain, where the century was not only …
Contract Theory in Modern Times
The modern revival of social contract theory stems from the work of one man above all — the American philosopher, John Rawls. Rawls’s seminal article, ‘Justice as Fairness’, appeared in 1958, was elaborated and modified in several further papers, and led up to his monumental book, A Theory of Justice , published in 1971. Since then innumerable critics have discussed Rawls’s theory, and Rawls himself has continued to elaborate and modify it, a pro…
The Reformation and the Wars of Religion
The De Principatu of Salamonio was written just before the outbreak of the cataclysm that shattered the unity of Western Europe — the Reformation. As we shall see, it was this event that led to the heyday of contractarian political thought, stemming in the first instance from the efforts of radical Protestants to justify their political stance, and later from the attempted refutations of their opponents. So widespread does the use of contractaria…
Conclusion
Despite earlier obituaries, the history of social contract theory seems, after all, to be by no means over. Not only is Rawls continuing to refine his own theory; his work has also stimulated a considerable outburst of contractarian theorising, notably in the field of moral (as distinct from political) philosophy. 1 Despite its interest, this material has rather the character of work in progress, and is in any case somewhat tangential to our cent…
Social Contract
Protestant Ethic and Profit Motive in the Weber Thesis
The celebrated “Weber thesis” is, in essence, an assertion of causal connections among four terms, namely the “protestant ethic” (PE), the “spirit of capitalism” (SC), “modern western capitalism” (MWC) and the “industrial revolution” (IR), as follows
Not Talking about Jerusalem: Reply to Miller
The Political Philosophy of Karl Popper
In 1968 there appeared in New Left Review an essay by its editor, Perry Anderson, which attracted considerable attention. Detecting in the student unrest then at its height ‘stirrings of a revolutionary consciousness’, Anderson was concerned to identify (and of course attack) the main elements ofthat British cultural conservatism which, in his view, the burgeoning revolutionary consciousness must overthrow. In brief, his view was that British int…
Social Systems and the Evolution of Action Theory
Philosophy, Science and Politics
Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy
Justice, Social Contract, and Universal Prescriptivism
The Structure of Social Science: A Philosophical Introduction
The Structure of Social Science: A Philosophical Introduction
Originally published in 1974, this book provided a most useful introductory survey of all the major philosophical issues relating to the social sciences at the time. While it covers a remarkable amount of ground in a short space, it is never superficial, for its lucid and careful analysis does full justice to the complexities and controversies of the subject. Nor is it merely a survey, for, while putting all points of view with scrupulous fairnes…
Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy
Social Contract
The Principle of Fairness and Political Obligation
Political Culture in Contemporary Britain: People and Politicians, Principles and Practice
The Structure of Social Science: A Philosophical Introduction
Originally published in 1974, this book provided a most useful introductory survey of all the major philosophical issues relating to the social sciences at the time. While it covers a remarkable amount of ground in a short space, it is never superficial, for its lucid and careful analysis does full justice to the complexities and controversies of the subject. Nor is it merely a survey, for, while putting all points of view with scrupulous fairnes…
The Political Philosophy of Karl Popper
In 1968 there appeared in New Left Review an essay by its editor, Perry Anderson, which attracted considerable attention. Detecting in the student unrest then at its height ‘stirrings of a revolutionary consciousness’, Anderson was concerned to identify (and of course attack) the main elements ofthat British cultural conservatism which, in his view, the burgeoning revolutionary consciousness must overthrow. In brief, his view was that British int…
John Rawls' Theory of Justice
JOHN RAWLS’ THEORY OF JUSTICE , JOHN RAWLS’ THEORY OF JUSTICE , کتابخانه دیجیتال دفتر تبلیغات اسلامی
Max Weber's Politics of Civil Society
Philosophy, Science and Politics
Two Justifications of Punishment
Two Justifications of Punishment Get access Michael Lessnoff Michael Lessnoff University of Glasgow Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 21, Issue 83, April 1971, Pages 141–148, https://doi.org/10.2307/2218336 Published: 01 April 1971
Parsons' System Problems
Functionalism and Explanation in Social Science
John Rawls' Theory of Justice
JOHN RAWLS’ THEORY OF JUSTICE , JOHN RAWLS’ THEORY OF JUSTICE , کتابخانه دیجیتال دفتر تبلیغات اسلامی
Two Justifications of Punishment
Two Justifications of Punishment Get access Michael Lessnoff Michael Lessnoff University of Glasgow Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 21, Issue 83, April 1971, Pages 141–148, https://doi.org/10.2307/2218336 Published: 01 April 1971
The Structure of Social Science: A Philosophical Introduction
The Structure of Social Science: A Philosophical Introduction
Originally published in 1974, this book provided a most useful introductory survey of all the major philosophical issues relating to the social sciences at the time. While it covers a remarkable amount of ground in a short space, it is never superficial, for its lucid and careful analysis does full justice to the complexities and controversies of the subject. Nor is it merely a survey, for, while putting all points of view with scrupulous fairnes…
Justice, Social Contract, and Universal Prescriptivism
Philosophy, Science and Politics
Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy
Not Talking about Jerusalem: Reply to Miller
The Political Philosophy of Karl Popper
In 1968 there appeared in New Left Review an essay by its editor, Perry Anderson, which attracted considerable attention. Detecting in the student unrest then at its height ‘stirrings of a revolutionary consciousness’, Anderson was concerned to identify (and of course attack) the main elements ofthat British cultural conservatism which, in his view, the burgeoning revolutionary consciousness must overthrow. In brief, his view was that British int…
Social Systems and the Evolution of Action Theory
Protestant Ethic and Profit Motive in the Weber Thesis
The celebrated “Weber thesis” is, in essence, an assertion of causal connections among four terms, namely the “protestant ethic” (PE), the “spirit of capitalism” (SC), “modern western capitalism” (MWC) and the “industrial revolution” (IR), as follows
Culmination, Critique and Restatement of Contract Theory
Our task in this chapter is to depict the culmination of the classic phase of contract theory, and at the same time the development of a powerful critique of its basic postulates. This critique did not by any means immediately destroy the currency of the theory — that was the work of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Nevertheless, the contract theorists whose work we shall now survey differ in an important respect from almost al…
Introductory
In recent decades the theory of social contract, long thought by many to be by now of purely historical interest, has enjoyed a spectacular rebirth. Primarily this has been a phenomenon of political and moral philosophy, yet it has manifested itself too at the level of practical politics. ‘At the heart of our programme to save the nation lies the Social Contract’; these are the words of the manifesto published by the British Labour Party just bef…
A Defence of Contract Theory against Some of its Critics
Fifty years ago a distinguished historian of the social contract, J. W. Gough, wrote that Kant’s political philosophy ‘brings us within sight of the end of the history of the contract theory’ (Gough, 1957, p.181). Recent developments have shown this judgement to be premature, as we shall shortly illustrate at some length. Nevertheless, Gough had apparently good grounds for his remark. In the first place, it is true that after the time of Kant’s w…
The Middle Ages and the Renaissance
‘No man can make himself king or emperor, the people raise a man above them in this way in order that he may govern them in accordance with right reason, give to each one his own, protect the good, destroy the wicked, and administer justice to every man. But if he violates the contract ( pactum ) under which he was elected, disturbing and confounding that which he was established to set in order, then the people is justly and reasonably released …
Social Contract Theory in Seventeenth-Century Britain
Throughout the seventeenth century the peace of Europe continued to be disturbed by religious quarrels stemming from the Reformation, as well as the habitual struggles for power between kings and their enemies; and in the arguments provoked by these disturbances the theory of social contract provided a widely accepted idiom, perhaps more widely accepted than ever before or since. At any rate this was so in Britain, where the century was not only …
Contract Theory in Modern Times
The modern revival of social contract theory stems from the work of one man above all — the American philosopher, John Rawls. Rawls’s seminal article, ‘Justice as Fairness’, appeared in 1958, was elaborated and modified in several further papers, and led up to his monumental book, A Theory of Justice , published in 1971. Since then innumerable critics have discussed Rawls’s theory, and Rawls himself has continued to elaborate and modify it, a pro…
The Reformation and the Wars of Religion
The De Principatu of Salamonio was written just before the outbreak of the cataclysm that shattered the unity of Western Europe — the Reformation. As we shall see, it was this event that led to the heyday of contractarian political thought, stemming in the first instance from the efforts of radical Protestants to justify their political stance, and later from the attempted refutations of their opponents. So widespread does the use of contractaria…
Conclusion
Despite earlier obituaries, the history of social contract theory seems, after all, to be by no means over. Not only is Rawls continuing to refine his own theory; his work has also stimulated a considerable outburst of contractarian theorising, notably in the field of moral (as distinct from political) philosophy. 1 Despite its interest, this material has rather the character of work in progress, and is in any case somewhat tangential to our cent…
Social Contract
Social Contract Theory
Journal Article Book Reviews Get access Social Contract Theory. Edited By Michael Lessnoff. (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1990. Pp. 233. Price £10.95 pb.). James W. Child James W. Child Bowling Green State University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 42, Issue 168, July 1992, Pages 375–378, https://doi.org/10.2307/2219689 Published: 01 July 1992
Political Culture in Contemporary Britain: People and Politicians, Principles and Practice
This book examines what the British people and their politicians really think about the fundamentals of politics. Based on new and revealing survey data, it presents an analysis of British attitudes to civil, political, and social rights. The book uncovers two broad ‘macro-dimensions’ of political principle — liberty and equality — which underlie a large number of more specific principles and shape people’s responses to many practical issues. Con…
Religion and Economic Action: The Protestant Ethic, the Rise of Capitalism and the Abuses of Scholarship
Sociology (25 works) · Political science (24 works) · Law (23 works) · Philosophy (20 works) · Epistemology (18 works) · Politics (15 works) · Law (10 works) · Philosophy (10 works) · Law and economics (9 works) · Social contract (8 works)