This book explores the ethics behind Thomas Hill Green's political philosophy, making original use of his unpublished papers to throw new light on his moral philosophy, a philosophy that raises important problems neglected in contemporary ethics.

Publisher Description

This book offers a new phenomenological, interpretation of T.H. Green's (1836-1882) philosophy and political theory. By analysing in turn his theory of human practice, the moral idea, the common good, freedom and human rights, the book demonstrates that Green falls into the same tradition as Kantian and Husserlian transcendentalism. The book offers a reconstruction of Green's idealism and demonstrates its potential to address contemporary debates on the nature of moral agency, positive and negative freedom and on justifying human rights.

In Brink's study of T.H. Green's classic 'Prolegomena to Ethics' the author restores the work to its rightful place in the history of philosophy. Brink provides a prolegomenon to the 'Prolegomena' - one that situates the work in its intellectual context of classic British idealism.

Ben Wempe argues that the far-reaching and beneficial influence of Green's political doctrine, on public policy as well as in the field of political theory, was founded on a misinterpretation of his philosophical stand. The book discusses Green's philosophical development.