Politics And The Public Interest In The Seventeenth Century (rle Political Science Volume 27) (routledge Library Editions)

This book examines the concept of public interest against the background of English politics from the Civil War to the coming of the Hanoverians. These years witnessed both the rise of the modern notion of the public interest as a part of ordinary political language and the growth of a social philosophy of individualism. The new ideas challenged the status quo , based on order, reason of state and national power, in the name of legitimate self-interest and respect for the rights of the private person. In presenting a complex set of ideas in their historical context, the author examines both abstract philosophies and the issues of the day as recorded in press, pulpit and law courts. A chapter devoted to economic thought includes a re-assessment of the social assumptions of mercantilism. hyper compress PDF online -> avepdf.com Cover 1 POLITICS AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 4 Copyright 5 CONTENTS 8 PREFACE 10 INTRODUCTION 12 I PRIVATE MEN AND PUBLIC INTEREST 1640–60 16 SALUS POPULI SUPREMA LEX 16 INTEREST AND INTERESTS 50 II HOBBESIAN PERSPECTIVES ON THE PUBLIC GOOD 70 THE KING'S INTEREST 70 A COMMUNITY OF INDIVIDUALS 97 III ALTRUISM AND INTEREST IN HARRINGTON 124 IV CONSCIENCE AND INTEREST AFTER THE RESTORATION 168 V ECONOMIC ARGUMENT: THE PUBLIC INTEREST QUANTIFIED 220 COMMERCE, MAINLY DOMESTIC 220 COMMERCE, MAINLY FOREIGN 244 VI PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST, 1660–1720 281 THE NEW SOPHISTICATION—WILLAN, CUMBERLAND, LOCKE 281 TOWARDS ORTHODOXY 309 CONCLUSION 337 APPENDIX A: A SUM OF INTERESTS IN PHYSIOCRATIC WRITINGS 346 APPENDIX B: THOMAS PAINE AND THE PUBLIC GOOD 351 BIBLIOGRAPHY 353 INDEX 364 Routledge Library Political Science reprints a distinguished selection of important texts published in this field over the last century. This set presents a unique opportunity to gain comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the history, philosophy and theory of political science.