This book gives a comprehensive account of the British Idealist approach to international relations from the 1880s to 1930s. In an attempt to historically contextualise the shifts in several British Idealists' approaches to the nature of international relations and human rights, it focuses on their reflections on the Second Boer War, the Great War and the League of Nations. The ensuing discussion offers valuable insights into British Idealists’ evolving approaches to the topics of imperialism, cosmopolitanism, internationalism, multiculturalism and human rights. While the pioneering Idealists like T.H. Green and Bernard Bosanquet are acknowledged as those who set the tone of discussion on these central issues, works by minor British Idealists such as J.S. Mackenzie, J.H. Muirhead, Henry Jones, R.B. Haldane and H.J.W. Hetherington reveal British Idealism’s capacity for adaptation to novel ideational positions under adverse international conditions.

British philosophy in the last third of the nineteenth and first third of the twentieth centuries.

This book offers an introduction to British Idealism through a study of each of the seven key thinkers - T. H. Green, Bernard Bosanquet, F. H. Bradley, Henry Jones, David Ritchie, R. G. Collingwood and Michael Oakeshott.

This book examines the British tradition of common good politics, both historically and in the contemporary world. We live in a time when many anti-Conservative parties and voters feel a profound sense of crisis and disorientation over political principles and policy directions. As a result, many people are turning to common good politics as an alternative to state-centred socialism and laissez-faire individualism. Colin Tyler explores the practical and intellectual history of the British idealist tradition, which flourished from the 1870s to the 1920s, before applying the principles of common good politics to contemporary issues. These issues include the positive roles that can be played by conflict within democratic societies, the radical demands of social justice in a diverse world, the continuing influence of Bush’s ‘war on terror’, international society and free speech under Tony Blair and David Cameron, and the relationships between economic migration, social justice and the common good. The book will appeal particularly to students and scholars interested in British politics, internationalism and political theory.

The author argues for a revised conception of international relations that acknowledges the irreconcilability of realist and idealist theories, and concerns itself instead with important substantive issues.

There has been a significant renewal of interest in the British Idealists in recent years. Scholars have acknowledged their critical contribution to a number of philosophical theories in the fields of politics, law, morality, epistemology and metaphysics.. British Idealism: A Guide for the Perplexed offers a clear and thorough account of this key philosophical movement, providing an outline of the key terms and central arguments employed by the idealists. David Boucher and Andrew Vincent lay out the historical context and employ analytical and critical methods to explain the philosophical background and key concepts. The book explores the contribution of British Idealism to contemporaneous philosophical, political and social debates, emphasizing the continuing relevance of the central themes of their philosophy. Geared towards the specific requirements of students who need to reach a sound understanding of British Idealism, the book serves as an ideal companion to the study of this most influential and important of movements.

This book gives a comprehensive account of the British Idealist approach to international relations from the 1880s to 1930s. In an attempt to historically contextualise the shifts in several British Idealists' approaches to the nature of international relations and human rights, it focuses on their reflections on the Second Boer War, the Great War and the League of Nations. The ensuing discussion offers valuable insights into British Idealists' evolving approaches to the topics of imperialism, cosmopolitanism, internationalism, multiculturalism and human rights. While the pioneering Idealists like T.H. Green and Bernard Bosanquet are acknowledged as those who set the tone of discussion on these central issues, works by minor British Idealists such as J.S. Mackenzie, J.H. Muirhead, Henry Jones, R.B. Haldane and H.J.W. Hetherington reveal British Idealism's capacity for adaptation to novel ideational positions under adverse international conditions.